Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Ilha do Medo

I'm pretty impressed by how good this book was, even though I've seen the movie and knew the ending.
It kept me interested from beginning to end, the pacing was actually perfect and surprised me a few times when it jumped unexpectedly. I got attached to the characters really quickly, the atmosphere was amazing. I loved the mystery and the clues. Knowing the ending, I could pay attention to the clues we get, and I think it's done brilliantly, giving you all you need but not making it too obvious.
This would actually have been a 5 star, but the use of some slurs, especially the n-word, put me off a lot.

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chloemaerossi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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islajackson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I love the book so much 😭😭😭😭😭

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ahopper7's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.5

I’m reading this book many years after watching (and loving) the movie multiple times. I couldn’t believe how close the book and movie were, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that follows a book scene for scene (sometimes word for word) as Shutter Island does! The book is a fantastic crime thriller, the puzzles and decoding by Teddy in the book are even better since the book is taking its time with them. My only hiccup is the final lines of the book vs the movie, in which I favor the movie. Honestly this would have been a 5 star read if I hadn’t already seen the movie and heard that last line, but I have and can’t take it back! Either way, whether you’ve seen the movie or not, if you like crime/psychological thrillers, I guarantee you will like this one.

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elenatamsen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

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potsandpans22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Having read the book after watching the movie (I know, heathenous, but I only found out about the book after) I do see the similarities. The book does have several more unnecessary slurs such as the n-word and r-word but it fits the context of 1953 (I believe) when the book is set.
Other than that the plot is very well-written, all the plot twists and turns are executed brilliantly and the character development is great too.

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