Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Stone Maidens by Lloyd Richards

10 reviews

dosxhime's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Stalking and Cannibalism

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I picked up this book after hearing about the author on Tik Tok, and I wanted to give a smaller known author a read.
"Stone Maidens" is a crime story that follows Christine Prusik, the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI’s Chicago field office. There is a serial killer murdering young women in Indiana and leaving a small stone figurine with their bodies. These stones are linked to primitive tribes of Papua New Guinea, tribes that Christine knows more than she cares to remember.
Overall, I felt like this book was written pretty well and read much like an episode of Law and Order. This type of "true crime" feel in a book is not typically the type of book I gravitate towards, but objectively I could see the enjoyment of a book like this and I felt the heart the author put into this story.
One of my biggest hang ups about this book was with Christine. Christine as a character did not feel like a real woman, meaning I could tell that this was a woman character written by a man. Her interactions with the sheriff especially felt very staged and unrealistic. Her dialogue felt robotic and like she was written to say what a cliche FBI woman would say, not what felt true to her character.
The ultimate "why" behind the serial killer's actions and the resolution that was reached felt satisfying and I did like the twist to the story.
I am happy I picked up this book, but I am not convinced this author is for me, and I am not ready to jump into another of his books right away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Child death, Sexism, Grief, Death, Violence, Torture, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent

cbrigs99's review against another edition

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

5.0

I found this book through TikTok, as I’m sure most recent readers did. I am always a bit hesitant reading anything that’s been hyped up on social media, but this book was phenomenal. I loved the detailed writing style, it made me feel like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds. The small details and story lines woven through the book were phenomenal, and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. The ending of this book was unexpected for me, even as a self-proclaimed true crime enthusiast. I can’t wait to read the sequel coming in August, and I think I’ve found a new favorite author! Devereux is truly a literary genius in my book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body horror, and Murder

claireswale's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Like many people, I read this book because of TikTok. I wouldn’t exactly call it a thriller but more of a crime novel. The “twists” were a little predictable or if not predictable, a little far fetched or unbelievable, so it was almost amusing rather than gripping or thrilling. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and the romance storyline was just a little flat… maybe because the main character is a young woman and the author is an older man. It was kind of obvious that that was the case in some ways. The ending was a little weird but I suppose it tied up loose ends… I still feel like I had questions though! I’m not sure I would really recommend this book to anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders

sdemo08's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

Booktok rec. I am surprised how much I enjoyed this. Well written storyline and the plot twists in the second half kept me guessing till the end. An amazing approach to serial killer with multi-faceted backstories for each character.

[Stone person on "black" crocheted book blanket.]

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Content Warnings

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Child death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Murder

gcancemi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Disturbing but crazy good read. Feels like it should have a trigger warning 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

steffi_88's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism and Violence

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Panic attacks/disorders

tyriek's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Cannibalism, Blood, Abandonment, Violence, Drug abuse, Stalking, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, and Death

Minor: Animal death and Rape

jessyalyssa's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Murder

mellowneko's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

If you love true crime, thrillers, mysteries or plot twists this book is for you! I have crippling ADHD - not the kind that you see on TikTok that is meme worthy. I mean the kind where it takes all day to do a simple task. Keep this in mind when I say I could not put this down at all. Anytime I tried to wander off to do something else this book was pulling me back wanting to know more, needing to know more. I am the type of person who usually guesses the endings of books after reading the first few chapters. But with how Lloyd Devereux Richards crafted this masterpiece I was thrown for a loop at every turn - right until the end. I am hoping that he releases another book at some point because I am now addicted to this mans writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Self harm, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Medical content, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Stalking, and Torture