Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

21 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

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

samanthaannecompton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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

2.0

at first i gave this four stars. after letting it digest, i realised that i didn’t actually like the story. i liked the moody atmosphere created. the main character was a pushover (but same) and her relationship with elora AND zane was never actually developed. it was all very surface level.

i also hated the incest plot. it was gross and unnecessary. they were raised together since they were kids which makes it unstomach-able

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Incest

courtney_1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child death, Suicide, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Alcohol

elizabethgreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A spooky and atmospheric read.

The author created a spooky atmospheric book set in a coastal Louisiana small town. The characters are multideminsual, flawed, and real.  The setting feels authentic and is wonderfully described.  Every character as their own secrets which creates a lot of mystery and tension.  The book is a small town suspense book with paranormal elements. This is not a true thriller. If you love psychics and other mystical powers  you should considering giving this book a try. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child death, Addiction, and 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