Reviews with content warning for Classism - Death in the Spires

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

12 reviews

kgc8's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

KJ Charles packs a lot into under 300 pages! The author is adept at setting the scene, both present day and via flashbacks, and efficiently drawing all the characters with only a few lines. You quickly get a sense of everyone's possible motivations and the undercurrents beneath what seems like an idyllic university friend group. I didn't 100% guess where KJ Charles was taking the mystery and the ending (though it was not my favorite resolution), and there are definitely some heavier themes addressed.

Content Warnings

jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A dual timeline mystery from a fave romance author.

School friends (and lovers) torn apart my a murder are reunited when one of them decides to investigate.

The tension is high, the twists are golden, the dual timeline is done to perfection, and social justice themes, especially reproductive health, permeate the whole story.

Content Warnings

f18's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

Content Warnings

aglassofchardonnay's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

5.0

Content Warnings

gwenynen's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

elle_e_d_light's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

"It was a murder but not a crime!"

Content Warnings

rainbowbrarian's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

From goodreads: “1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.”

But what if the truth Jem uncovers will destroy them all? Is it worth digging up the painful past if danger still lurks within it?

Favorite Parts - The atmosphere, KJ Charles is amazing at historical scene setting. I literally changed my mind about who I thought was the murdered so many times. I also changed who I wanted to have done the deed multiple times. I didn’t see it coming. The characters were all so well done and the story was complex. I was worried the ending would be terrible, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Read This If You - love murder mysteries, want more queer historical fiction, love a story about a group of college friends

Content Warnings

rynn82's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I'm sure it's possible for someone to write a murder mystery that is more exactly suited to my tastes, but I'm not sure it's probable. I told myself "I'll finish reading this on my lunch break" and then took my life into my own hands by finishing it on my walk in to work instead. It's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, with some cool twists.

Content Warnings

greatestheights's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.0

Content Warnings

cleo_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Edwardian mystery by KJ Charles, about an unsolved murder that happened at Oxford, 10 years earlier. I enjoyed this, although it wasn’t as immersive as I was hoping for.

I happened to have read Maurice earlier this year, so it was interesting to read another book about queer young men navigating Oxford in Edwardian England. Death in the Spires

I tend to focus on the characters and relationships when I read a mystery, rather than on solving the mystery and this book lends itself to that style of reading.

This is a mystery with a low key romance, but is definitely not a genre romance - the mystery, not the romance is central.

Content Warnings

More...