Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

6 reviews

eldritchreader's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Was this my favourite Ruth Ware book? No. I felt as though the tense wasn't as tense, the grisly nature wasn't as dark and the characters didn't hit quite as personal as other books by this author or in this genre.

However, I don't agree with a lot of the one or two star reviews I've read. If you didn't like it because you don't enjoy morally grey characters, fine. But unlikeable characters does not make this a bad book. If anything, I found that to be the best part of it. 

The back and forth tension of right and wrong, loyalty and the regression to the poor decisions made by traumatised teenagers was blended in an authentic way. The people were real and messy. 

Ware didn't write this to have characters have a morally-sound redemption arc. She wrote a messy story about a messy situation and the messy decisions and emotions of those involved. 

And that is (in my view) good writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

mlbreton's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I really did like this book overall. It was a fun read and I kept trying to guess the outcome and kept getting it wrong! 

I did have some issues with the book, but mostly with the characters and what the author was trying to make us feel about them. For example,

I found Isa awful. I thought it was so cruel of her the way she treated her husband and being so offended that he thought he was cheating, but she was being so distant and not communicating with him AT ALL so I think it's natural his head went where it did! And we're we supposed to LIKE Ambrose, the father/artist that drew his daughter and teenage friends NAKED?! I don't care how much the main girls said it "wasn't like that", it's creepy as hell and SO inappropriate. Lastly, with Kate and Luc, we're we supposed to be rooting for them at the end? Or find it romantic that she wanted to sacrifice her life and freedom for her brother she was SEXUALLY INVOLVED WITH?!? I did not get that at all and couldn't get past that weird family dynamic to find any of them likeable.

Overall, the book kept me engaged but I did find it disappointing that it ended on

another lie

instead of having the characters grow from that

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Incest, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

cpratreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I really liked this one! Another classic Ware story, but I felt this one was unique from the others I've read, as the main characters are in different circumstances. I did guess the ending pretty early on, but was still surprised by the twists and turns. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

katymat18's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

lottevanderpaelt's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I rarely read mysteries, but I am so glad I picked up this one! The emotions Isa and her three friends go through are palpable. And I greatly appreciate the fact that the women had goals, ambitions, fears, hopes, etc. that went beyond being wives and mothers, even though most of them are wives and mothers. They felt fully fleshed out, complex, and interesting. It's a great boarding school, dark academia story told from the perspective of an adult looking back on her harrowing teenage years. 

I took off one star because the ending is a bit confusing and a little ambiguous considering the amount of detail that went in the rest of the novel.

Be mindful of the trigger warnings!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault