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riella_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This was good, but slightly underwhelming. I loved the premise but I also guessed a huge twist from the beginning, and another twist a significant amount of time before the reveal. I still enjoyed my time with it overall but I wish I didn't see the reveals coming so I could enjoy it more! I do think this is a perfect read for Halloween, as it takes place all on the night before halloween.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
blackcatkai's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
CW: death (adult and child), child abuse, alcohol and drug use, addiction, suicide, sexual assault, mental illness, chronic illness, blood, violence, ableism
a mystery suspense novel with a supernatural bend. some of my favourite things are here like rich people family drama, murder, and a sweet dog who does NOT come to harm! 🥳 so fret not, friends! if you like the Clue movie with a little halloween spooky vibe and secrets all over, then give this one a shot. I really enjoyed it!
some parts were a smidge repetitive and I'm not entirely sure I'm the biggest fan of the very end, but I had fun, and thats all that really matters, overall.
a mystery suspense novel with a supernatural bend. some of my favourite things are here like rich people family drama, murder, and a sweet dog who does NOT come to harm! 🥳 so fret not, friends! if you like the Clue movie with a little halloween spooky vibe and secrets all over, then give this one a shot. I really enjoyed it!
some parts were a smidge repetitive and I'm not entirely sure I'm the biggest fan of the very end, but I had fun, and thats all that really matters, overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It was a dark and stormy night… okay, but really—it was a dark and stormy night on an isolated island off the coast of Cornwall, where an estranged family has gathered for Nana Darker’s 80th birthday. Albeit awkward considering their weird family dynamic, a tense celebration of sorts ensues until Nana turns up dead at the stroke of midnight. One by one, the family members disappear accompanied by cryptic, poetic messages, but whodunit??
I can’t say too much without giving the whole story away, but this was a fun murder mystery! For sure a more modern take on Agatha Christie mysteries with a little “Knives Out” action. It also reminded me, at times, of “The Prestige” and “Shutter Island”.
I will say that I guessed the final twists fairly early on, but still felt the satisfying shock when they were unveiled, as some pieces I definitely had not put together.
The writing style was great, though I did find the book a little too long, and some of the flashbacks stunted the flow of the story a tad. Also, don’t go into this one expecting to like any of the characters—some I rather loathed, which was part of the point of course.
Overall, a very on-brand read for Halloween season!!
I can’t say too much without giving the whole story away, but this was a fun murder mystery! For sure a more modern take on Agatha Christie mysteries with a little “Knives Out” action. It also reminded me, at times, of “The Prestige” and “Shutter Island”.
I will say that I guessed the final twists fairly early on, but still felt the satisfying shock when they were unveiled, as some pieces I definitely had not put together.
The writing style was great, though I did find the book a little too long, and some of the flashbacks stunted the flow of the story a tad. Also, don’t go into this one expecting to like any of the characters—some I rather loathed, which was part of the point of course.
Overall, a very on-brand read for Halloween season!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
OH MY GOODNESS, I was not expecting this story! I read "Rock, Paper, Scissors" last year and loved it, so "Daisy Darker" has been on my radar, but I tried to not read too much about it before I could pick it up, and boy am I happy that I went into this story not knowing much of anything.
"Daisy Darker" follows a woman named Daisy as she and her family return to her grandmother's house on the eve of her grandmother's 80th birthday. Her grandmother was told by a palm reader that she will not live past 80, and she has long believed this to be true. Before she passes away, she wants the family to be together one last time so she can share her will with the Darker clan. Daisy has always had a special relationship with her grandmother and has always felt like an outcast from the rest of her family. Daisy was born with a heart defect, and she was always kept safe inside, but she also felt like her family did not love her because of her heart, except for her grandmother. Her grandmother's home is on a remote peninsula that during high tide is inaccessible. Now, with the whole Darker family trapped, people start dying one by one, and no one knows who the killer might be.
This book took me a little while to get into (about 70 pages), but once I was invested, I read the rest of the book in one sitting. Most of the Darker family is absolutely horrible and you are almost happy to see them die, but you are still so curious to uncover who the killer is. I did not see most of the twist coming, and I ended up screaming when the big and final twist was revealed. I was so heartbroken the entire time for Daisy because her family has always treated her so terribly. Her sisters were vicious to her, and her parents were absent. Daisy had both literally and figuratively a broken heart and it was devastating to see.
I LovED this book and I hope everyone reads and loves it as much as I did!!!
"Daisy Darker" follows a woman named Daisy as she and her family return to her grandmother's house on the eve of her grandmother's 80th birthday. Her grandmother was told by a palm reader that she will not live past 80, and she has long believed this to be true. Before she passes away, she wants the family to be together one last time so she can share her will with the Darker clan. Daisy has always had a special relationship with her grandmother and has always felt like an outcast from the rest of her family. Daisy was born with a heart defect, and she was always kept safe inside, but she also felt like her family did not love her because of her heart, except for her grandmother. Her grandmother's home is on a remote peninsula that during high tide is inaccessible. Now, with the whole Darker family trapped, people start dying one by one, and no one knows who the killer might be.
This book took me a little while to get into (about 70 pages), but once I was invested, I read the rest of the book in one sitting. Most of the Darker family is absolutely horrible and you are almost happy to see them die, but you are still so curious to uncover who the killer is. I did not see most of the twist coming, and I ended up screaming when the big and final twist was revealed. I was so heartbroken the entire time for Daisy because her family has always treated her so terribly. Her sisters were vicious to her, and her parents were absent. Daisy had both literally and figuratively a broken heart and it was devastating to see.
I LovED this book and I hope everyone reads and loves it as much as I did!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
kimveach's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book took a long time to get to the big reveal. While I liked the ending, I thought about quitting this book many times, which isn't good. I much preferred the author's "Rock Paper Scissors."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death
evieolive's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Wasn't a fan of the writing style, but a fun, easy to read book, and I liked the twist well enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Suicide, Violence, and Grief
michelles_book_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
⚠️ TW: murder, childhood trauma, child abuse, suicide, drug use ⚠️ Wow this was one hell of a read and I loved it so much! This book follows Daisy Darker and her family as they prepare for a Halloween family reunion for their Nana's 80th birthday at her gothic home on a tiny tidal island just off the coast of Cornwall. And as they prepare to be isolated from the rest of the world for 8 hours during hide tide a storm starts raging outside bringing with it an eerie sense of what is set to be a night no one will ever forget. When at the stroke of midnight a family member is found dead and an hour later another one follows. Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darker's must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets before the tide goes out and all is revealed. This book was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year and it certainly didn't disappoint! It is a very slow burn but trust me it's worth it and it really kept my attention throughout to the point where I couldn't stop thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. The twists and turns were just perfection and it was one of those books where part of me wanted to binge it but another part of me wanted to savour it because I was enjoying it so much. It is beautifully written and incredibly clever with a great dysfunctional family plot that just keeps giving right until the end. Overall, I highly recommend this book and it is definitely one of my favourite books so far this year, if not my top favourite!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Murder