Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Deep and Dark and Dangerous: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

2 reviews

andmingmingtoo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

I read this book for the first time in middle school because Mary Downing Hahn was my favorite author, and I decided to read it again as an adult to get me out of a slump. It worked!
I saw other reviews complain that the characters were too unlikeable, but for me, that's part of the magic of this story. The characters feel like real people, and real people are messy and irrational.
In the end, I'm a firm believer that a lot of good horror is about the love people have for each other, and this book is very similar, because it captures one of the most central, unifying desires people have: to be seen, liked, and understood.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Grief

Minor: Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

This book revolves around a girl who died by

accidental drowning

, so there is a lot of water-themed peril and a lot of mentions of

drowning and hypothermia

ahixon1's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship