heshotmedown's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I just finished reading Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney and I had the urge to immediately start re reading it!
Alice Feeney is surely the queen of dualpovs and plottwists.
Even though I was really invested in this story, I didn't like it as much as her other books.
Don't get me wrong, it was still a masterpiece, but something spoiled it for me (the ending).
All in all it was a great read, by a great writer and I look forward to reading more of her stories.
Alice Feeney is surely the queen of dualpovs and plottwists.
Even though I was really invested in this story, I didn't like it as much as her other books.
Don't get me wrong, it was still a masterpiece, but something spoiled it for me (the ending).
All in all it was a great read, by a great writer and I look forward to reading more of her stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Death, Murder, Child death, and Chronic illness
Minor: Sexual content
amazingracerose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Death
pinkpotayto's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book used the back and forth past/present device that im not quite fond of but it was done really well in this scenario and slowly helped the mystery unfold and the questions answered themselves. Most of it you can see coming, or at least I could, but how you got there was the true mystery and it was one I was willing to be patient and wait for! I enjoyed this book! But like any murder mystery please check and be mindful of the tags!!!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma
syazahaniss's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This author is slowly becoming one of my fave psychological thriller authors because her plot twists are always so mind-blowing. This one was no different.
Not a fan of the non-linear storyline. The “flashbacks” threw me off and they weren’t as seamless weaved into the story as I expected them to be. More times it was more confusing than clarifying.
Pacing-wise, I loved how it started off. This author is really great at the creep factor and many points of times I did chills. But along the way, the story became a bit repetitive and draggy for me (during the deaths). Maybe if there were less characters it wouldn’t have been such an issue but as it is, after Frank’s body was found, my interest waned a lot until the grand reveal.
Spoiler
Granted, it wasn’t my favourite plot twist — I don’t believe in ghosts — but it was still unexpected and therefore, quite shocking.Spoiler
There were some parts that I personally wasn’t too satisfied with. Daisy’s heart condition was something that I’m still not too clear about even now. For the life of me, J cannot see Trixie as the killer even though she literally did it. And Nana’s suicide in the end was so unnecessary.Not a fan of the non-linear storyline. The “flashbacks” threw me off and they weren’t as seamless weaved into the story as I expected them to be. More times it was more confusing than clarifying.
Pacing-wise, I loved how it started off. This author is really great at the creep factor and many points of times I did chills. But along the way, the story became a bit repetitive and draggy for me (during the deaths). Maybe if there were less characters it wouldn’t have been such an issue but as it is, after Frank’s body was found, my interest waned a lot until the grand reveal.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent
theinstaboomworm's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
FORMAT: 📖
THE GOOD: This book is wild! It's set around Halloween, which I wish I had known going into it, but I'm still glad I finally read it now. That is something to keep in mind if you haven't yet read this one though. I loved all the book references in this and I did guess one of the twists but not the other. This was creepy in a good way and I read it in 24 hours because I couldn't put it down, even though it was a slower burn. I loved that it was about a family and thought that was a nice twist on a mystery.
THE BAD: The only bad thing about this is that it is a slower burn story. It's more of a mystery than a thriller and so the story isn't as suspenseful as some of Feeney's other novels.
Favourite quote: "You are a disgrace to depression, and you don't deserve to call yourself that child's father."
THE GOOD: This book is wild! It's set around Halloween, which I wish I had known going into it, but I'm still glad I finally read it now. That is something to keep in mind if you haven't yet read this one though. I loved all the book references in this and I did guess one of the twists but not the other. This was creepy in a good way and I read it in 24 hours because I couldn't put it down, even though it was a slower burn. I loved that it was about a family and thought that was a nice twist on a mystery.
THE BAD: The only bad thing about this is that it is a slower burn story. It's more of a mystery than a thriller and so the story isn't as suspenseful as some of Feeney's other novels.
Favourite quote: "You are a disgrace to depression, and you don't deserve to call yourself that child's father."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Murder
catieohjoy's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death, Child death, and Death of parent
cheerful_bursts's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/injury detail, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Minor: Suicide and Sexual assault
cbthebooktrotter's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, and Bullying
penandpaper's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An amazing book! At times, the build up and prose was a bit repetitive, but that’s a common problem with mysteries. This is a book about living in the past and needing to accept it to move on, and it’s very well done. The plot twist could be decisive (I first hated it, then loved it, then had lingering questions), but the book does a good job of balancing comfortable nostalgia with suspense and mystery. I think this is a book you’ll either love or hate from the ending.
Spoiler
I think the mechanics of the final twist could have been done better. Like, why does she stick around but not her relatives? Does the book set her free? What happens to Trixie? As much as I appreciate the sudden twist and the tie in to the beginning, I wish we had more information
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Child death, Murder, Death, Sexual content, Alcohol, Car accident, Ableism, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Medical content, and Animal cruelty
shelfofunread'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
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Injury/injury detail, Child death, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death