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mirrorofneptune'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? Yes
2.0
There were a lot of interesting themes here I would’ve liked to see explored more and a lot of things I think could’ve been taken out, including
I did like The Silent Patient so I’m disappointed.
Moderate: Murder, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship
dblue236's review
- 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
4.0
This book vaguely ties in with this author's The Silent Patient, but you do not have to have read that book in order to follow this one, or vice versa. It amounts to a brief mention of a couple of characters who are included in the other book that doesn't relate to the story, and both books can be read as standalones. Having said that, I definitely felt The Silent Patient was the stronger of the two. This one certainly wasn't anything like BAD, but the pace was so painfully slow I struggled to follow the plot for about the first half of the book. It did finally pick up toward the end and it turned out to be well worth sticking it out, but of the three books I've read by this author so far, this was definitely my least favorite. It's still worth reading, but maybe don't make it the starting point by which you judge the author's work.
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Pedophilia
jensynaw's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.75
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Stalking
Minor: Pedophilia
emma6544's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I was hesitant going into it because I have not enjoyed a lot of dark academia books but this book is different. It balances the academic and mystery lines really well so I felt that both areas were explored really well. I also loved Alex’s descriptive writing style which brought the characters and story to life.
The plot was face paced and it kept me invested into who the killer is. While I wasn’t hugely shocked at one of the people involved as I had my suspicions on them for awhile, I was majorly shocked at the twist
I also really enjoyed the references to The Silent Patient
This book blew me away and this is my favourite book of his so far and I am looking forward to enjoying his latest book, The Fury. Despite the references to the last book, you can easily read this book first. I highly recommend reading this book, even if you are not a fan of dark academia.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Pedophilia and Death of parent
hannahleewhite's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, and Child abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia
aheinicke27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story is dark and distributing in a way that you can’t look away. As an English nerd, I loved all of the nod’s to classic Greek literature, which really added interesting layers to the story and foreshadowing. I also really liked the connections to The Silent Patient. Since it has been a while since I listened to that book, I didn’t notice them at first, but once I made the connection, it was so fun to return to that world. Overall, this is an excellent thriller and one I will definitely recommend!
Minor: Murder, Death, and Pedophilia
kellyisntcool's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
boop123'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
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Drug use
ivella553's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pedophilia
filipa_maia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Overall I liked the plot. The story is well built and the characters are interesting with complex and very dark backgrounds but the ending... my God... Why? I didn't like it one bit. It definitely subverted expectations but was completely unnecessary.
I enjoyed the "crossover" with 'The Silent Patient' though.
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Incest, and Car accident