Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

67 reviews

ios_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book. Definitely a dark addition to Mia’s trilogy of stories starting with “Arsenic and Adobo”. I think it helped tie in some plots from the first book, gave us a new refreshing yet dark twist, and we see Lila grow and change in her own ways! Loved it and praise the author for the disclaimer prior to the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Infertility, Violence, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Minor: Murder, Mental illness, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

chilivanilli28's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

prof_kev's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Suicide

onegalonelife27's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Minor: Body shaming and Infertility

sicilyjoy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Murder

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Fatphobia, and Ableism

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Toxic relationship

lynnlovegreen's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery involving a Filipina, her extended family and friends, and a pageant. The love and fun was well mixed into the mystery plot, just like the Halo-Halo and other featured foods. There are some dark moments, but they are balanced by the humorous ones.
Although this is the second in a series, I was able to pick up on the backstory and read it as a standalone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Murder, and Grief

Content Warning: PTSD

editorsel's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Another cozy mystery read! Definitely enjoyable, and the twist at the end (albeit expected) was fairly surprising! I do think that the book spent a lot of time “describing” and sometimes certain scenes would feel important and then turn out not to be? I think the driving force of the plot being the pageant felt a bit cliche, and I enjoyed the faster pace of her previous book a bit more. 

Another note is that sometimes the conversations about family, mental health, and trauma were too on the nose — while they were relatable in the sense that these conversations often do go unsaid, it felt like they could’ve been a bit more intentional/subtle. 

Overall, an enjoyable read and I’ll continue reading her next books! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

aprica's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Emotional abuse

siriface's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder