Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

40 reviews

itstheesilvie's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious 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

3.25

A wonderful sapphic retelling! Loved the enemies to friends to lovers plot line. I also liked the way the author tied in some of the societal issues women face everyday, and have faced since the beginning of time. It made the supernatural parts of this story more compelling. The writing style kept me engaged, switching from character perspective is a win for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Animal death

Moderate: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Murder

fanboyriot's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.5

♡ Mystery

♡ Spooky Vibes

♡ Dark Academia

I loved the vibe of this book, the spooky atmosphere was set so well.  And the formatting design was so beautiful.  Especially with the UK cover it was really so pretty.

The mysterious vibe of the school and an atmosphere that drew me in like the north tower, having said that, the characters came off a bit annoying several times.  One minute they were roommates and starting out on the wrong foot, then they were sharing secrets, then they were back to rude misunderstandings, it was so back and forth.  By the end I was over them but it did improve and they were a lot better.

The lore of this school and the rituals were kinda nice to read, it was mysterious and interesting but also easy to read and enjoyable to play around with theories.  While the plot of this got more and more ridiculous by the end it was super entertaining to read.

Spice Level: n/a

Angst Level: 💧(1/5)

POV: Duel, First Person

Release Date: 07, July 2022

Rep: Lesbian (? Main Character), Demisexual (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Self harm, Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexism, and Body horror

Moderate: Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Cursing, and Gore

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Suicide, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Torture

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.5

This was not what I was expecting from a book advertised as a retelling of Jekyll and Hyde, but it was immensely enjoyable.

the society soulless girls not being at the root of the deaths preceding and during the events of the novel was also not what I was expecting, but I really appreciated the twist. The dark academia society with engraved name plaques for the new girls who performed the ritual is a strange touch, but fits the setting. One thing that also felt odd is the headmistress not reading the investigation notebook before she burned it. However, I do understand her not wanting to learn about atrocities she may have committed and the horror she thought the murdered student might of felt for her. Lottie and Alice are adorable together and I love the bloody and devoted relationship that evolved from their semi-mutual animosity. The council of horrific old white men experimenting on their peers and the young women they're supposed to be mentoring feels a bit too true to life, but I like how it tied together the frayed ends of the storytelling. The ghost of the nun was also a nice touch, guiding Lottie through the task she already wanted to do and helping her solve the mystery. One thing I would critique is the repeated reference to Lottie not being asexual with her newfound attraction to Alice. Asexuality is an umbrella term, and if she's only attracted to Alice, she may still be able to identify with a term under the umbrella.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use and Terminal illness

haleybre's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Domestic abuse, Murder, Animal death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Blood, Death, and Violence

izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and Physical abuse

oolymee's review against another edition

3.5

There are lot of things I really loved about this book. It is an excellent, eerie, and unsettling retelling of Jekyll & Hyde. Also it's sapphic. And the enemies-to-lovers is brilliant. The descriptions of rage are gritty and feel very tangible if that makes sense. 

The downside to this book is that there were a few ends that just weren't quite tied up in the ending. While I did enjoy the ending, I wish the ending had been just a bit longer with a heavier focus on where the characters go next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault

cecilie26's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

Okay, this is the first time that I have tried to read something in this kind of genre. I have read murder mysteries but this is a whole other genre than that in my opinion. 
It was nice to try something new, but this book was really not something for me. 

I’m gonna make some pros and cons, because that the only way that I can make this kind of shot and not write something that doesn’t make sense. 
Let’s start with the pros:
- liked the generational women rage and what it represents
- did like the girl kinda fight club vibe. 

The cons:
- the animal cruelty(could not for the life of me see the reason for that even though

the cat lived

. 
I know the authors perspective was to show how far she would go, but that could have been done another way. I just really don’t like animals being hurt to further the stories cruelness. 
- the romance was a bit weird. It didn’t feel like it came naturally. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Death

sinnybuns's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

An incredible depiction of female rage and how easy it is to fall into the trap of believing that in order to be accepted by society, you need to be “nice” and “sweet”. I love that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was incorporated into the story. I also particularly loved that being in love with someone of the same sex was completely normalised. No huge coming out moments or internalised homophobia like you so often find in sapphic romance, especially YA sapphic romances. 
This book is a slow burn in terms of romance but the plot itself moves quickly. If you’re looking to read this for the romance only, don’t. You will be disappointed. The love story shared between the two main characters is a sub-plot and not a main focus in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Murder, Animal death, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

 The Details:
 Narrated by Farrah Cave and Beth Easdown
Unabridged 

Absolutely adored Every Exquisite Thing, so was excited to see that Steven's debut was available through my library app.

This is a sapphic, modern gothic retelling of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
I'm not sure if it wad the share name of Lottie combined with the sapphic grumpy x sunshine, but it at first had a wholesome likness to The Rosewood Chronicles. It also reminded me of Claire and Elise from The Coldest Touch.

This was such a good story! 
I definitely see improvements in storytelling and writing style in the delivery of the modern gothic/dark academia genre, going back to this after reading Every Exquisite Thing, but it wasn't off putting.

The conversations did feel a little more juvenile than I'd expected but it was easily overlooked once I connected to the characters and got really invested in the story.

This inspiration of the classic has made me appreciate the themes of mental health that the original introduces.

I hope there are more in to come from these retellings, as I see these as becoming very beloved.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual harassment, Murder, Sexual content, Bullying, Child death, Toxic relationship, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

raye_charlie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Sexism, Self harm, Death, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness