Reviews tagging 'Blood'

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

65 reviews

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When Chloe is 12, her father is arrested for the murder of 6 teenage girls in their small town. 20 years later, Chloe is engaged and working as a psychologist. Her life is thrown back into turmoil when local girls start to go missing again. 

Our narrator, Chloe, is super unreliable. She has PTSD, mental health and trust issues, and has a tendency to mix alcohol and prescription drugs. The entire time I was questioning everything she said and believed to be true. It was pretty clear pretty early on that her focus was going to be on Daniel, but everything seemed to be too convenient. 

Her trust issues mixed with this couples lack of communication makes me understand why her focus went straight to him. Men let her down, they always have let her down, why would Daniel be any different? Had they just been open, honest, and communicated with each other, they probably would have caught the killer much earlier. 

Daniel

is such a genuinely kind and sweet man. He loved Chloe so much, but was not completely honest with her. Yes, he did it for an understandable reason, but if you can't tell your fiance everything about yourself, who can you? It turns out that his sister who "disappeared" when she was 13, was actually alive and well. Their father was an abusive drunk and to save her from his abuse, Daniel arranged for her to "run-away" from home. He keeps this a secret from Chloe.

Cooper

was the obvious suspect from the start. He seemed a bit off from the beginning. We find out that it was actually him from the beginning. His father took the fall for him. In the present he manipulates a local man to impersonate a reporter in order to get close to Chloe. He manipulates and gaslights Chloe into believing her fiance is a killer by planting evidence and targeting girls close to her. He hates that Daniel is taking his sister's attention from him and wants him out of her life. Creepy. 

Overall, it is a gripping a twisty thriller with an unreliable narrator. You never really know where the story is leading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, and Grief

boop123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It was predictable but I still had a good time! The story was easy to read and follow. The main character was kind of unbearable at times but it was understandable given her past (which the media will never let her forget). I am also a fan of thriller books that I can’t help but theorize, it makes me feel more immersed in their story and somehow interactive, so that was a huge plus. Overall, a great book to read for something not difficult to follow but also can’t help but feel frustrated with what’s happening. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Blood

coco78337's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, Child death, and Violence

Minor: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Self harm, Bullying, Vomit, and Stalking

lara_pavlick's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Addiction, and Domestic abuse

kailynpaig's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Trafficking, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, Miscarriage, and Infidelity

serenaann's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Grief, and Self harm

Minor: Gun violence, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Child death, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, and Toxic relationship

author2223's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Child death, Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Self harm, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse

agapemanning's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse

liv_brisson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I don’t like the “is the MC really a reliable narrator?” Trope. I didn’t like it in in The Wives by Tarryn Fisher and here it’s not as bad, but still frustrating (if you liked that trope in The Wives, then this book is for you). 

I have also read so many books with the serial killer father trope and hate the overused & predictable ending of the narrator being the murderer who finishes what he started. This book doesn’t succumb to that end (thankfully lol). The interesting premise that keeps you on your toes is what saves this book from being a DNF/lower rating. 

Overall, I’m not mad at it. Though some of the trademark thriller twists & turns were a bit predictable, I did find it quite riveting a lot of the time! Many of the twists and turns were actually unexpected. The end resolve left a bit more to be desired for side character development & tying the ends of side plot lines, but I really enjoyed the last few lines & the full circle moment for the narrator.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual harassment

Minor: Blood

mcarol23's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Death, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Murder, and Suicide attempt