Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell

9 reviews

catanami's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • 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


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robin_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • 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

Laura Purcell did it again. I absolutely adore her writing. So detailed and eerie, gives you just enough information to keep you in the dark but speculating at the same time. 

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lc_books's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a great Victorian gothic read set in 1800s Bath. It was an eerie supernatural mystery combined with, what reminded me of, a Jane Austin novel.

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.


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linguaphile412's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0


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emmasanderson's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • 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

A slightly different genre for me as it had a supernatural element as well as  being Victorian gothic.  I found it a real page-turner towards the ending which was quite unexpected (for me).   It felt historically accurate and well researched.

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kb_sherman's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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


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j_squaredd's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75


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cjblates's review

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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? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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madroxreads's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • 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


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