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selenatothemax's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Murder, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Blood, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Torture, Sexual assault, and Rape
jesscoast's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've been missing a story this action packed for a while. Pearse sets up every character so that the reader keeps guessing as to who is the suspect - and who the next victim might be. Though she relies on tropes, it's not necessarily a bad thing. If you had your "Mystery Novel Bingo Card" out, you might have filled it by the first half.
The story is complex enough, and made good use of Gothic elements - hidden tunnels, trap doors, secret rooms left off the plans. From the first few pages I expected the hotel building itself, and it's past as a tuburculosis clinic with a perhaps sinister past to play heavily into the plot, and I wasn't disappointed. The story unfolds in a number of threads, with red herrings and false starts knitted in throughout. Although a cover up and conspiracy are revealed, I wish it had gone a little further with that storyline. I found the systemic mistreatment of women a much more intriguing plot than petty personal motives, but the mix was nice.
In the end, I'm not entirely convinced every thread was satisfactorily wrapped up. There was a little too much going on to keep track of, and tying in Elin's past with the present was a bit messy. Some bits of the writing were choppy and awkward but it was mostly an easy read.
I can't complete my review without mentioning my annoyance with Elin. As a seasoned detective, she came across as naive and easily fooled and clumsy. She didn't play any of her leads close to her chest, she botched her investigation by not being able to keep her mouth shut. She didn't come across as reliable or professional, I found her approach very cringe. Also, who is narrating the epilogue? That didn't click into place at all for me.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child death, Murder, Medical content, and Blood
Moderate: Rape
ekmook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Death of parent
parkerknoll's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Blood, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Torture, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Confinement, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment
truecrimefan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Medical trauma, and Torture
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Rape and Abortion
widgetknits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Murder, Death, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Minor: Abortion and Sexual assault
bandysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Torture, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Violence
scburhans's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
My biggest worry when starting this book was how Pearse was going to use the setting of the Sanatorium. Sanatoriums/Asylums are big staples in suspense and horror, so there are a lot of different ways for the setting to become tropey/unoriginal/uninteresting. I though that turning the sanatorium into a hotel added an interesting twist while adding a nice element of social horror as well - trying to (sometimes literally) whitewash the past. Similarly, I thought that most of the characters were really complex and compelling. There were a few things that confused me, but I'm assuming that's due to the cultural barrier going on here. The plot was paced well and engaging, and I think that Pearse added a lot of rich detail to her characters and world building. A also appreciated the little nods to actual sanatorium design as well as the rather colorful and often brutal histories of asylums around the world. For a debut book, I think it's really good!
I did have a few issues pertaining to the psychology of the suspects and perpetraitors. Some of their actions and ways they acted and reacted didn't make sense from a psychological perspective. They were common mistakes, but they still bugged me. Similarly, I had a few issues with details of the crime. I simply cannot find what type of respirator/mask the perpetraitor used anywhere on the internet. The closest thing I can find is a WWII era gas mask/respirator, but the tubing still connects to an outiside box, not the mask itself. I'm really curious as to if Pearse made that device up or if it's actually based on a real respirator that I can't seem to find. There were a lot of horrifying looking devices used back then that would have worked for a signature, so I find it a bit odd that she (seemlingly) chose to make something up instead. It's a small detail, but it still pulled me out of the story a bit.
Overall, a pretty good book! I'd defintely reccommend it to my friends and I'll probably read it's upcoming sequel.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Stalking, Sexual assault, Cancer, Sexual violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
ceci_cc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence