minniepauline's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
2.5
I think Jennifer McMahon’s writing is not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Death of parent
jj_tj's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Child death
Minor: Suicide and Fire/Fire injury
antimony's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
didn’t like when jax went kind of crazy towards the end her conclusions were so nonsense (does it truly make more sense that shirley’s family hired an actor to scare lexie so they could get the house or that there are creepy things in the evil springs that drowned lexie) but i liked the creepy water and i liked the epilogue and i liked ethel’s timeline surprisingly a lot (even though her last chapter her age was so wrong i did the math. if she was 37 in 1929 there is no way she could be 95 in 1972)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Child death and Infertility
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
megelizabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I WILL NEVER RECOVER FROM THIS BOOK.
Jennifer McMahon is quickly becoming a favourite author for me. She crafts such incredible, layered narratives, deftly manages alternating timelines, and depicts family relationships, and particularly relationships between sisters, so, so well, and this book is no exception. It's wonderfully atmospheric, brilliantly plotted, and absolutely, completely, utterly devastating.
This was looking to be a 4.5* for me, as I would've liked to have had more clarity over Declan's role in the story, and also although I was loving it, I wasn't finding myself entirely surprised by anything that was happening. However, I definitely spoke too soon there, as the ending shocked me so, so much that I had to read it multiple times to make sure I'd understood it right, and part of me really, really wishes that I hadn't and that I could've stayed in blissful ignorance. My heart will never ever be the same after that ending, and yet I know I'll do it to myself again as I just cannot stay away from McMahon's incredible stories.
Jennifer McMahon is quickly becoming a favourite author for me. She crafts such incredible, layered narratives, deftly manages alternating timelines, and depicts family relationships, and particularly relationships between sisters, so, so well, and this book is no exception. It's wonderfully atmospheric, brilliantly plotted, and absolutely, completely, utterly devastating.
This was looking to be a 4.5* for me, as I would've liked to have had more clarity over Declan's role in the story, and also although I was loving it, I wasn't finding myself entirely surprised by anything that was happening. However, I definitely spoke too soon there, as the ending shocked me so, so much that I had to read it multiple times to make sure I'd understood it right, and part of me really, really wishes that I hadn't and that I could've stayed in blissful ignorance. My heart will never ever be the same after that ending, and yet I know I'll do it to myself again as I just cannot stay away from McMahon's incredible stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Self harm, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Infertility, and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
amberghinii's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Self harm, Addiction, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism
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