Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Dark and Shallow Lies: Von seichten Lügen und dunklen Geheimnissen by Ginny Myers Sain

32 reviews

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Truly shocked by how much I wound up enjoying this book. Nothing was predictable and each twist shocked me more than the last. 

Harts tempted should’ve been a dead giveaway but knowing the summer 10 had lost three before adulthood allowed the reader to excuse it as grief. He shouldn’t have kept the secrets he did, but even then he was not the worst … no one could’ve seen Evie’s plot twist coming. 

I fell for her being the victim, haunted both literally and by grief for those of their group who passed. Finding out it was her literally being haunted by guilt and by Elora for killing her left my jaw on the floor.

Overall, I loved the magical aspect of all these psychic abilities those in  La Cachette had. The intrigue that followed decades of murders, guilt and lies. Ginny is a beyond talented author, truly having my heart beat for all the

summer 12

while I devoured this book whole. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

darquedreamer's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

Dark and Shallow Lies was atmospheric and captivating. Very well written. So little happened, but so much happened at the same time. It was breathtaking and heart clenching, and gripping.

The story inside most definitely matched the beautifully gothic cover on the outside. It was dark and tense and I could see it clearly in my mind. It was mysterious and reflective, and had an amazing build up.

For taking place in such a short amount of time, the characters had so much depth to them. Even the characters that were no longer in the story. They were rich and felt so real, despite most of them having not so real abilities.

The setting was perfect. It transported me to the bayou. The descriptions, the feel of the words, and the way the characters spoke all anchored me to the story and location.

I definitely enjoyed this one. It had a tiny bit of predictability that allowed the truly shocking twists to be hidden. It unfolded in a perfect way, just like a hurricane.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

kitfkat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

the_first_lines's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Suicide, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

samanthaannecompton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-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

2.0

at first i gave this four stars. after letting it digest, i realised that i didn’t actually like the story. i liked the moody atmosphere created. the main character was a pushover (but same) and her relationship with elora AND zane was never actually developed. it was all very surface level.

i also hated the incest plot. it was gross and unnecessary. they were raised together since they were kids which makes it unstomach-able

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Incest

courtney_1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Minor: Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol

elizabethgreads's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

A spooky and atmospheric read.

The author created a spooky atmospheric book set in a coastal Louisiana small town. The characters are multideminsual, flawed, and real.  The setting feels authentic and is wonderfully described.  Every character as their own secrets which creates a lot of mystery and tension.  The book is a small town suspense book with paranormal elements. This is not a true thriller. If you love psychics and other mystical powers  you should considering giving this book a try. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

alyssa_s10's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.25

I read this book for my ABC reading challenge.  I liked the atmosphere of the book. However I feel as if the main character was a bit to naive for my taste. The twist and turns of this book make up for it. 

I had a feeling that Hart new more than he led on, but I could have never guessed that it was the youngest kid. One thing I don't like was how they sympathetic the main character is to the killer. This also reminds me of a true crime case I have read about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Suicide

Minor: Incest and Self harm

powellki's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed the premise of this book, I enjoyed the beginning mystery. I wanted to know what had happened to Elora as badly as Grey did. There were a few twists and turns in the book I didn't see coming, especially the last hour of the audiobook. I am very disappointed with the ending because it turned into a very twisted love triangle (that had been hinted at throughout the book), and ends with the unnecessary death of multiple characters. I was also unhappy with the epilogue because it ends ambiguously. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood and Alcohol

rediswriting's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Grief, and Stalking

Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Incest