Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Lioness

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

12 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I found a copy of this book at a library book sale.
"The Lioness" follows a group of friends on a safari trip in 1964 in Tanzania. Katie Barstow and David Hill have invited their close friends to accompany them on their honeymoon. Everything seems to be going perfectly, until they are attacked and taken hostage by strangers. Now the group has to fight for their lives and figure out who is holding them for ransom, and why.
I was initially intrigued by this book because I wanted to explore a historical fiction that took place in Africa. Although this novel is that I did not think we really got a robust view of 1964 Africa. This novel was much more focused on the Americans that were kidnapped and what implications that would have on them. Additionally, this was a group of celebrities, which is why there was such immediate action from people to save them. I think this book did what it set out to do, it was just not exactly what I wanted.
This novel was violent and highly descriptive in its violence. If you are someone who finds it difficult to read about torture and blood in detail, this novel is not for you.
There is a slight mystery because the group does not know why they are being targeted. The reveal of what is actually going on was interesting and I did not see it coming. I also did not suspect the connections that were ultimately made.
Overall, this book was very okay; I appreciated it for what it did, but I was not blown away by it either.

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monicadee88's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A fun listen, but ultimately forgettable. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and flashbacks, and some of the kidnap scenes were truly horrific. However, I wanted more from the plot and I was more often than not confused by the amount of characters.

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dev921's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

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karenleagermain's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

I read The Lioness during my summer cruise to Hawaii and I could not put it down. Set in 1964, the story follows an American actress and her entourage as she set off on a safari in Africa for her honeymoon. When the group is ambushed and several members are kidnapped their glamorous holiday turns into a nightmare. Several characters also twig that one of their own might be working with the kidnappers.

The Lioness is an intense thriller with unexpected twists. Each character has an unpredictable reaction when their survival instinct kicks in and someone the seemingly weakest characters turn out to be the strongest. I loved this aspect of the story, as it was very unexpected and it also allows the reader to imagine how they might have fared in a similar situations.

A solid thriller with excellent character development.

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