Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan

15 reviews

korikam's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death and Alcohol

aimeejane's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

jesssicawho's review

mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Took a little while to get started but it was an enjoyable (albeit sad) story. I was a little annoyed that the MC was only 55 but acted more like 85. It took me out of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Domestic abuse

kreglow's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Grief, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Rape, and Terminal illness

tferree's review

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

Not life changing, but an interesting enough read. The central mystery was pretty intriguing, and I liked the use of the language of flowers as a core theme (for the vibes). Getting the full story was pretty satisfying, but overall the ending felt anticlimactic.  I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, even the main protagonist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

storytime2390's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

goblinbookworm93's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Violence

dr_kat's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This is a very British ghost story. The romance is buried underneath the many ghosts and the horrible family tragedy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Child death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

hilarybuff's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this story and found myself rooting for Francine as she investigated her family's past! I found it very atmospheric and compelling...and also cozy at times even though several parts of the book touch on very heavy subject matter. This is a good book to curl up and read with a blanket and a cup of hot tea.

Some sections felt like they were dragged on or rehashed a tad too much, which is why I didn't give it 5 full stars. But the mystery kept me guessing as it evolved and I enjoyed getting to know the family. Sometimes dual timelines can take me out of the story, but I was invested in both past and present happenings. Very happy to have picked this book up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

jessyhayward's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan is an intriguing and mysterious gothic ghost story centred around two older sisters, Francine and Madeleine, who discover some disturbing family secrets after being estranged for years. Now, they must repair their bond and investigate their past together before a strange presence overtakes their lives. 

I loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat without relying on shock horror  and made it very easy to empathise with the main characters (and some not-so-main characters). The past was eventually revealed, of course, and I thought it was a perfect (though fucked-up) explanation. I also liked the focus on sisterly relationships as it’s not written about much, and not only that, it was a realistic one. We all know sibling relationships are complex, and Francine and Madeleine represented this perfectly. 

The atmosphere is written brilliantly. It really is a gothic, yet modern, setting. I adored the emphasis on the language of flowers, as well as the vivid descriptions of them. As disturbing as some of this novel was, I really did want to visit the home. 

The only thing that I disliked was the characters. Hear me out…I empathised with them constantly, but oh man were they annoying. Francine grew on me slowly, but I hated the way she judged and slut-shamed other characters. Madeleine was also frustrating. That being said, they had their reasons and no one is perfect. Don’t let this stop you reading it, please. 

Overall, I loved it and would definitely recommend it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, and Mental illness