Reviews tagging 'Death'

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

24 reviews

darquedreamer's review against another edition

dark 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

4.75

Dark and Shallow Lies was atmospheric and captivating. Very well written. So little happened, but so much happened at the same time. It was breathtaking and heart clenching, and gripping.

The story inside most definitely matched the beautifully gothic cover on the outside. It was dark and tense and I could see it clearly in my mind. It was mysterious and reflective, and had an amazing build up.

For taking place in such a short amount of time, the characters had so much depth to them. Even the characters that were no longer in the story. They were rich and felt so real, despite most of them having not so real abilities.

The setting was perfect. It transported me to the bayou. The descriptions, the feel of the words, and the way the characters spoke all anchored me to the story and location.

I definitely enjoyed this one. It had a tiny bit of predictability that allowed the truly shocking twists to be hidden. It unfolded in a perfect way, just like a hurricane.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence

kitfkat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Violence

kate_17's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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? No

4.75

This book had an interesting way of foreshadowing that added a whole new layer of mystery to the story. Great story telling, in my opinion, as well. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Gore and Child abuse

This is still ya or even teen read but there are some descriptions of dead bodies.

the_first_lines's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Incest, Child death, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain was an interesting and compelling take on a classic thriller. I loved that these characters has psychic abilities, and while I was afraid this could get away from the author, this story ends up being incredibly tight. Nothing feels forced or out of place, at least not to me. I was really drawn to this book because of the cover, and the story itself was just as intriguing. I love that this is set in such a small town, and though I found the beginning a tad overwhelming with so many characters, it was quick to fall into its pace and orient the reader. I think that the important characters are flushed out enough so that their motivations make sense, but not so much so that you get bogged down in the details of each character. I think the dialog was well done, and while I do hate phonetic spellings, this was handled really well for the context. Overall, this was certainly worth the read. I’m so glad I was able to grab a copy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Murder, and Death

shadowspinner's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Child abuse

alyssa_s10's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.25

I read this book for my ABC reading challenge.  I liked the atmosphere of the book. However I feel as if the main character was a bit to naive for my taste. The twist and turns of this book make up for it. 

I had a feeling that Hart new more than he led on, but I could have never guessed that it was the youngest kid. One thing I don't like was how they sympathetic the main character is to the killer. This also reminds me of a true crime case I have read about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Gun violence, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Incest and Self harm

powellki's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed the premise of this book, I enjoyed the beginning mystery. I wanted to know what had happened to Elora as badly as Grey did. There were a few twists and turns in the book I didn't see coming, especially the last hour of the audiobook. I am very disappointed with the ending because it turned into a very twisted love triangle (that had been hinted at throughout the book), and ends with the unnecessary death of multiple characters. I was also unhappy with the epilogue because it ends ambiguously. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Medical trauma, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Abandonment, Child death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Alcohol and Blood

rediswriting's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Grief, Blood, Stalking, and Body horror

Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, and Cursing

rayneyisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Death, Vomit, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Gun violence