Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

11 reviews

searendt's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? No

2.0

Ok mystery; definitely doesn’t pass the Bechdel Test. 

It’s a decent enough ghost story and there are some haunting elements and descriptions that are engaging. 

But the female protagonist is quite flat. Despite being the main character, all she does is worry about the two male characters. Even when she’s been terrorized by a literal ghost for the first time in her life, her inner turmoil is all “I wonder how Male #1 is handling this? Is Male #2 strong enough to handle this given his shell shock? He is a war hero. What would my male relative think of Male 1? What will both of them think of my reaction?” 

How about - there’s a literal ghost saying murderous things to you - What about your turmoil? Or how about the abused and vengeful ghost’s? 

The story loses major stars for having such a 2-dimensional main character, and unlikeable male main characters. It’s not the gothic historical setting of the novel that holds it back - Jane Eyre as a character is 10x more relatable and real. 

This story could have been so much better. I did finish it because I did want to know the conclusion, which is why it gets 2 stars vs 1. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Violence and War

lampbee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

Really like her mysteries they’re not always complex but they’re entertaining. This one was less entertaining , the plot focused a weird amount on explicit sex scenes which didn’t feel like they matched with the tone of the story and went on for a very long time. The mystery itself was interesting but too much time spent on developing two romances so the actual ghost case was sort of bland. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Maybe it was intentional but considering the suicide in the book was caused by rape and sexual violence , I found the gratuitous sex scenes between the two main characters was weird — and the slow pulling of the man from his shell was annoying, not enough time to care about why he covers his war scars etc - her parents deaths was way more interesting than all the sex they kept having while their friend was dying

thereadedit's review

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

I enjoyed getting to know our characters, and how they interacted with Maddy. Maddy was definitely a force of nature that couldn't be contained. Even in death. She deserved so much better than the hand she was dealt in life. 

I loved being able to see the world through the eyes of a woman in 1920s London. You were able to see how much things have changed throughout the years. Along with change you were able to see the simplicity of the times without the complexity of technology. 

This was definitely a story that had to be followed closely or you missed out on details that you would later appreciate. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

lyricallit's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

3.25

I did enjoy it but it's almost as much romance as it is mystery. I didn't mind the romance (though there are questionable aspects to it) but just had to adjust my expectations once I saw it coming. I did not care for the narrator; the timbre didn't match what I would have had in my head for Sarah. I looked past that to focus on the story, but it was disappointing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and War

gondorgirl's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content and War

Minor: Death of parent

msteinhaus's review against another edition

dark 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? No

2.0

Wasn't good for me. I don't like books written from the perspective of women who lack confidence in themselves, which is true of this narrator, Sarah Piper. I also don't like the romance trope of people who are irresistibly physically attracted to each other without any actual knowledge of each other. The backstory of the ghost in question is also horrible. In conclusion, this story had lots of attributes that, had I known, probably would have prevented me from picking this up in the first place. You've been warned!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder

bee87's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism

susannah_knox's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence

neniacorcoran's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury