Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Lake by Natasha Preston

5 reviews

catlover_booklover2010's review

dark 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

This was a pretty good thriller if you love a good scare would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence and Kidnapping

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book is fine for a YA thriller and it reads very YA. There’s mystery and best friends with a secret and budding romances and new friends, all rolled up in a traditional summer camp setting. The story is a little slow to start as it takes its time establishing the characters’ backstories and evolving relationships. There are creepy sightings and hints about a past tragedy woven throughout the first couple of weeks as campers and their counselors arrive and get settled into the day-to-day camp activities.

Mid-point the pace picks up with more action and a various suspicious behavior occurring that causes the main character and narrator, Esme, to question who she can trust. The final act takes the reader down a dark and winding path, and for me, it didn’t entirely add up that the consequences for some of the characters was rightfully deserved. I liked the ending and while it probably wouldn’t hold up in the real world, it was calculated and twisted enough to fit the psyche of the culprit who engineered the events.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration by Lillie Ricciardi. Her voice is clear and she captured the youthful naïveté and banter of the teenage characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

richofficer's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

This book was incredibly repetitive, the characters and their encounters with Lillian and her doings seemed as if they were going in circles the  entire time until they just reached the end. I also thought that the ending was quick for no reason, and I thought it didn’t make too much sense. Although the not-so-good writing made it hard to get through each chapter, the intriguing plot and similar, but also simple and creative occurrences with the dolls and deer made it easier to get through so props to the author for their creativity.

I genuinely thought the people that  died could’ve made it out with how fast-paced Natasha made the ending, it seemed like it happened over a few minutes and it didn’t seem realistic with how Olly and Kayla died only being shot in the stomachs and not even given enough time to bleed out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Death

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Car accident

arthomas's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

morganperks's review

dark fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship