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katie_noelani's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment
charlmax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It would easy to mistake this book for a sloooooow burn romance instead of the murder mysetery it should be. I miss the days of Cuckoo's Calling and Silkworm.
If the focus of this book was the investigation into the doctor that went missing and not the many, many relationships Strike has, it would be 400 pages and not over 900.
As far as the investigation side goes, there was plenty of time spent on discussing clues and ideas in an attempt to lead the reader on. And it also highlights the challenges that can arise during a cold case
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Pros:
- Rowling is an exceptional writer; the complicated but satisfying plot, the mixture of straightforward tone interspersed with moments of lyrical descriptions and reflection, the characterisation and development, the slowly eked out relationship development, the depth of every single side character, how each character's dialogue is made distinct and accents rendered realistically, the research that's clearly gone into it... just so much to admire in the actual writing and her skill.
- I like Robin and Strike and many of the other side characters. They feel real and Rowling puts across their emotions very well. There's a very real feeling of being as harried and pressured as Strike clearly is with everything piling up and then the release at the end.
- the plot was complex but wrapped up very neatly at the end. It was complicated by various characters' mixed motives but it didn't feel forced.
Cons:
- My only complaint about the writing was that it was *massively* confusing at the beginning. SO. MANY. NAMES. Got super confused. Also later on completely forgot who
- Rowling's views... Rowling as a person... that was just in my head the whole time I was reading.
- her views then come through in this book, more than the others I think. This is the first book to come out post Rowling revealing herself as a massive transphobe and I think there's a lot of elements of that that come through in this.
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Anyway, the book was written excellently, but Rowling is a piece of shit. Unfortunately, I am also very jealous of her writing abilities and wish they'd been given to someone more worthy.
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
kdmusings's review against another edition
- 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
This book was very personal to me. However, upon reflection it is important to remember Rowling’s homophobic views and how this has been directly relayed through in her writing.
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
kumquat9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
tgilmore's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
cmreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Torture
Moderate: Cancer, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Racism