Scan barcode
catanami's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Murder, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
redroseses's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Death, Classism, and Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Terminal illness, Car accident, Stalking, Gore, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Police brutality, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
alba_marie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This one was at least better than <i>The Corset</i> which disgusted me to my core.
I was intrigued to read <i>The Shape of Darkness</i> for three reasons: because it was Victorian, gothic, and set in Bath – a place I once lived and where I ultimately decided that I wanted to permanently live in Europe. Needless to say, it's one of the places I hold dearest to my heart.
While I loved the start in Sydney Gardens and across Pultney Bridge, I was a bit disappointed that Bath itself hardly featured after the first few scenes despite being the perfect setting for such a novel. To me, it seems like the author missed a trick here.
At the core of the novel, we have Agnes, a middle-aged spinster still recovering physically from an illness and emotionally from past family drama; as well as Pearl, an albino child trafficked by her step-sister as a spirit medium.
In this book, the spirits come alive with a vengeance. They – often violently – speak through Pearl to her paying clients. They haunt Agnes through the silhouette cutouts of long dead people. They haunt Pearl for the seemingly simple crime of being born. And now they are haunting Bath itself with people dropping like flies upon interacting with Agnes.
The twist at the end was unexpected
So in the end, not a bad book, and a fascinating dive into the forgotten art of silhouettes, but not one that will stay with me in the long run.
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Mental illness
robin_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, and Vomit
lc_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Agnes Darken is a struggling silhouette artist living with her mother and nephew. When her customers start dropping dead one by one, and the police have no culprit, she seeks the help of child Spiritualist; Peal.
Agnes and Pearl aren’t your usual heroines and Laura Purcell did a great job of writing realistic women for this specific time period. Because of this there was a fine line between reality and the fantasy elements.
Purcell’s prose grabbed my attention from the very first line to the last. Every chapter was a joy to read and even though the pacing was very slow for my taste, I’m glad I finished the book for that ending.
This is a book I would enjoy reading again.
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Murder
linguaphile412'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: Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Drug use, and Animal death
emmasanderson's review
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Mental illness
the_vvitch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
kb_sherman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, and Mental illness
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
madroxreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Murder