Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - The Devil and the Dark Water

Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

8 reviews

akizato's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.5

Slow to start but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The characters were all really interesting, and I liked the ending.

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jjelliacee's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

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tish12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Yes I did get lost a few times where the story sort of slowed down but it then picked up again each time. There has been a few people complain about the

storm that takes place saying it went on for too many chapters, but honestly I feel it was just enough or maybe just a little more could have been said

I love the result at the end I did have my guesses. I won't spoil this on you. I would have loved to have seen a little bit more chemistry between Arent and Sara but at the author says in the end of the book letter from the author he didn't want it to turn into a story all about them, or Arent being the sexy bodyguard kind of character. But has said that if you wish to do so then that is what you shall have.
All in all I do recommend this book a adventure to read, there are a few gruesome scenes taking place in the book. But nothing over the top.

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katelarson's review against another edition

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slow-paced

5.0

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kaylaclark200's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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bc288's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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breadhead3's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

'Devil and the Dark Water' started off strong, with fantastic depictions of each important character and well-established relationships that only grew as the book carried on. Turton clearly demonstrates his talent with words, but - in this book, at least - fails when it comes to the resolution. Where this novel depicts his strengths in the concepts of character, it also falls short in many regards. Especially towards the end.

It didn't make sense that Arent, a man as strong-willed and moral as he is, agreed to Sammy and Creesjie's proposition at the end. He felt betrayed, but Turton didn't give him the time to process that, nor his anger towards Sammy. You can argue that Sara would agree, but I don't think her and Arent would stay together were she to.

It was convoluted, and fast-paced in the sense that... well, didn't make sense. If anything, the resolution was a cop-out to glorify the main characters, who I liked up UNTIL that point. I enjoyed the beginning and the middle, but the rest felt like a fever dream.

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daisymaytwizell's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Turton describes in the author's note that he believes the book's genre is up to the reader - I definitely see that fluidity in the text itself, and I think it makes for a wonderful read. It helps to maintain that tension and confusion regarding the nature of the mystery, because the reader experiences the shifts in atmosphere just like the characters do.

He also does a fantastic job of making you root for objectively unlikeable characters. A theme in this book is the terrible things mankind is capable of and why we might choose to do them, so there's a great deal of unsavoury characters present, but Turton recognizes who he can humanise and who is beyond that attention, which really pays off in the reading experience.

Also, the thing that really tied this incredible book together for me: Turton writes good sentences. The novel is good and careful and well-paced, but that attention reflects in every sentence throughout. Genuinely a phenomenal piece of work, and I'm excited to aggressively recommend it to everyone in my life who likes reading.

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