Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

9 reviews

bonestheartist's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really loved how the mystery took you down different theories, as if you were with the main character Nell trying to uncover the secrets held close within her two families. Absolutely loved this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This absolutely drew me in straight away. My lovely in-laws had the Masquerade book that influenced The Skeleton Key, and I love the concept that a treasure hunt book could cause an entire generation of damage, obsession and trauma.

The Golden Bones is a creepy concept for a picture book, with its basis in folk songs from the early 20th century. The folksy side of things and the almost commune feel to the Churcher-Lally houses gave me The Family Upstairs vibes. Both books have huge mysteries surrounding these houses, with random clues all over the place.

As I got nearer the end I was even more reluctant to put the book down. It's tense and mysterious, but more than that it gets so twisty that I was desperate to keep unraveling. And in that the story definitely doesn't disappoint; there are so many reveals at various points that it was impossible to guess how things would end up. The dual timeline is great for fleshing out the story, and gradually adding connections throughout.

By the end I can't say that any of the characters were painted in the best light, but I understood their motivations; for most, protecting their families was at the heart of everything. There's one character with absolutely no redeeming qualities, but the rest are so complicated and morally grey, it's a lot to get your teeth into.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Murder

Minor: Child abuse and Suicide

fairymoo83's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

dia_ls's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

rayne_fall's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

han936's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Child abuse

benmilo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This book started quite slow. I knew the story would be about a crime, but the first like 150 pages were establishing the families and the history and stuff. I didn't mind tho, I enjoyed Kelley's writing style. And I'm glad I sticked with the book, because when the whole crime and mystery began to unravel, I was absolutely hooked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

emzcbee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

saffyofthecakes's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, and Gaslighting