Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Lion's Den

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Lion's Den by Katherine St. John

19 reviews

lydiasaurus's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Not many likable characters, but with this kind of thriller I don’t need that. Found it quite engaging and it definitely had me rooting for the downfall of some of the heinous characters. Satisfactory ending. I found the main character to be frustrating at times but was still rooting for her.

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ehoustonmyatt's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a little slow to start and then picked up and had a few surprises I didn’t see coming and then dropped off again with an ending that felt a little confusing and anticlimactic. Overall a decent beachy thriller.

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pryorlee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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rachelmerrie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

It’s giving Gossip Girl, but with adults.

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thimi_time's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

What a gripping book, I was hooked reading about the shady dealings of the wealthy and elite (and those trying to be the wealthy and elite). I liked how the end tied in nicely with some parts in the middle of the book, as well as the non-linear narrative that was similar to Memento.

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k3ls33's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.25

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mollysparkles's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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siobhanward's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

There are definitely some things I'm conflicted about after reading this book. It definitely was better than a lot of the thrillers I read this year, but it still wasn't great. As another reviewer pointed out, almost nothing happens for the first 80% of the book. We hear bits and pieces of Belle's adventures on a yacht and hear tales of her "best friend" being mean to her. While I know that some of the intention was to build up Belle's isolation/loneliness/uncertainty, it wasn't super effective. I definitely found myself bored and waiting for something to happen apart from Summer being mad at Belle.

Even the plotline in the past was boring for the first bit - Belle works shitty jobs while we learn about Summer's past. Again, I understand why this was done and it could have been effective, but it just went on for too long.

However, the last 50 or so pages of the book were a saving grace. While there were some plot elements that I figured out early, or partially figured out, there were some that took my by surprise entirely. This was a book where I found myself flipping back to see what I had missed. I really like that! I've read too many thrillers this year where the ending was a twist that was impossible to see coming because it was based on information that you were not privy too until the end. I get that I'm not supposed to be able to predict every ending, but it also frustrates me when it's an impossible twist (e.g. the bad guy was some character mentioned a single time in a very off-hand way but here's all this info you didn't know that makes them the bad guy).

Anyway, this would be a solid poolside read. Or a book club read. Maybe not the best read for an expensive yacht trip.

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emilylovesgoodbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious relaxing fast-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

4.0

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collinsd's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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