Reviews with content warning for Violence - Untamed Shore

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

9 reviews

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

As always the author takes me with her haunting writing, her noir and somewhat morbid inspiration.
It was not my favourite of hers but still a great and short read.
A story about sharks and scorpions, the desert and the ocean, little towns and big dreams, people who deceive, people who want to escape and those who are pawns.
A coming of age story with a noir thriller vibe, in Baja California under the scorching sun and the heat of wildlife.

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

Untamed Shore takes place in a sleepy coastal town in 1970s Baja California, where the protagonist, Viridiana, spends much of her time bored and longing to get out. Little does she know, her life would take a drastic turn when three Americans arrive one summer and hire her as a personal assistant. True to Moreno-Garcia’s style, there’s a lot of setting up the atmosphere that happens at the start, with much of the action happening later in the book.

I’m not sure if this novel will fully satisfy mystery or thriller lovers, but Moreno-Garcia always has a way of writing that draws you in and keeps you wanting more, I feel. When it came to the twists, I found most of them to be a little predictable, though it didn’t take away from the overall mood of the story. If anything, Untamed Shore felt like an opportunity to watch Viridiana grow as a young woman, especially as she learns from her entanglements with the three visitors in more ways than one.

I felt that the novel ended rather mysteriously, which I don’t think is a bad thing— If anything, it feels like an appropriate way to end a book that was clearly inspired by film noirs. It certainly sets things up for Moreno-Garcia to write more about Viridiana, should she want to.

I admit I wasn’t entirely invested in the book, in part because I wasn’t a huge fan of most of the characters, but I always enjoy how Moreno-Garcia adds her unique twists to different genres and time periods.

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

Ugh SMG's writing is just top tier. I listened to this one on audio, and, while a very different book from Daughter of Dr. Moreau, it was equally as good. I'm so excited to read more from her!!

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sofipitch's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was entertaining but I was able to predict most of the plot beats ahead of time.

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mandkips's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

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horizonous's review against another edition

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mysterious 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

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aloevera's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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saimab's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring 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

I was almost sad to finish because I enjoyed it so much, the writing and the characters and the suspenseful atmosphere of it being so wonderful to read.

SMG has a way of writing women that is almost comforting. Our main character Viridiana in an 18-year-old woman who desperately wants off her little island, too intelligent to be spending her days watching sharks and waiting for tourists so that she can give them tours. She's both ambitious and directionless - wanting to travel and visit Mexico City, but unsure how she can ever escape this small town. I instantly loved her, her smarts and her awkwardness and her love to quote books and movies.

When she is given the opportunity to be a personal assistant/translator for some tourists, she is eager but apprehensive. It spirals from there - the tourists aren't what they seem, and suddenly one of them is now dead. But she's enamoured by the charismatic Gregory and fascinated by the elusive Daisy, so when they both said that the death was an accident she has no choice but to go along with the plan.

It's frustrating at times reading Viridiana be strung along by the foreigners, but at the same I can't blame her when I consider how magnetic and charismatic they must be to a small-town girl. That's not to say that Viridiana doesn't learn from them and their manipulative ways, and it's thrilling to see how she transforms from a naive girl to someone very aware of the power she holds.

I couldn't help but feel bad for Lawrence at times. It's strange - I totally fell for what Daisy and Gregory said about Law being arrogant, but then you finally get to meet him and he's barely arrogant, just awkward and lonely but also very rich. I thought he and Viridiana were very sweet, so that's why I felt bad for him since Viridiana was so hopelessly in love with Gregory. But well, considering the ending, who knows what will happen to the pair of them.

All in all, yet another SMG book I adored.

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tatitos's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

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