Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

112 reviews

drtsh's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, and Blood

aducharme4's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Violence, Gore, and Suicide

han_pear's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I absolutely LOVED this book, I was hooked from the first chapter and I was telling everyone I knew about it, I even told a customer at work about (I work at a doggie daycare lol). The story is interesting and I think the direction the author went in was interesting regarding Claire. I LOVED the twist. In all honesty I put this book down for a bit because of life and work, but the twist sucked me right back in and held on tight until I was done. I was a bit disappointed the book ended where it did, and honestly I would devour an entire book about the Aurora’s voyage, the ship is so fascinating. HUGE RECOMMEND!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Gun violence, Confinement, Vomit, Mental illness, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcohol

sci_fi4life_lol's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Mental illness, Violence, Death of parent, Suicide, Body horror, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Animal death

freedomofchoys's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

This book was so exciting and thrilling! I loved the sense of mystery and supernatural elements of the book. The pacing was also really quick and it was impressive how the author was able to craft the backstory and introducing characters without it feeling like it was dragging on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Abandonment, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

inkwithimagination's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Wow, S.A. Barnes really nails it in 'Dead Silence' when it comes to building suspense and tension. From the very beginning, I was totally hooked, itching to uncover the secrets of the ghost ship and the events behind it. Barnes' descriptive prowess paints a vivid picture of the eerie ambiance aboard the abandoned vessel - the creepiness, the suffocating sense of claustrophobia, the oppressive darkness, and the unsettling silence - you can practically feel the shivers down your spine!

Although the story starts a bit slow, it ramps up big time in the second half, keeping me absolutely glued to the pages. And even though I initially found the protagonist's choices and self-pity annoying, I was pleasantly surprised by her growth and transformation. By the end, she becomes someone I couldn't help but root for, conquering her fears and finding peace within herself. 

The ending ties everything up perfectly, making for one heck of a thrilling ride.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

cait's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

pepper_mind's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide

dattmay'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Overall this was a fun enough sci-fi story that was a quick read. If you're looking for horror, though, this is not the place. While there are a few moments that can be considered 'creepy' and some gruesome imagery used, the story is much more toned down than I expected coming in. 

Bad future super corporations doing bad things and screwing over the little people is the name of the game here, and even the haunted ship of the dead idea doesn't really overcome what we've seen in the past. The framing used in the book, that of the main character relating what happened in the past to her interviewers, robs the story of a lot of its surprise as she frequently reveals outcomes of events before we even know they happen. 

To dip a bit into spoiler territory,

the eventual reveal of what's causing the spookiness on the ship fell entirely flat for me. From that point on, it was really just a wrote sci-fi adventure with quite a few loose ends (why was Claire seeing what she did? What/where were the actual device? Why did Lourdes gouge out her eyes when everyone else seemed to go for their hearing?).

So while I had a decent time with the book, I don't think it'll stick with me in the long run. I mainly just wish it was a bit more horror focused than it ended up being. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide, Violence, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Moderate: Classism and Gun violence

Minor: Child death, Animal death, Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Cursing

moonylovesstars's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis