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dishajetly_123's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting
svnsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
basically all the characters were unlikeable, the main characters especially so. the relationships were also exhausting to read.
the mystery was intriguing up to the conclusion, which seemed to be coming out of nowhere sort of.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
magical_mads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Also, I hated how in the topic of rape was treated in this book. It felt like it was shoved in as a last minute plot twist. It should never be treated like that.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
ekmook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
scburhans's review against another edition
- 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
My biggest worry when starting this book was how Pearse was going to use the setting of the Sanatorium. Sanatoriums/Asylums are big staples in suspense and horror, so there are a lot of different ways for the setting to become tropey/unoriginal/uninteresting. I though that turning the sanatorium into a hotel added an interesting twist while adding a nice element of social horror as well - trying to (sometimes literally) whitewash the past. Similarly, I thought that most of the characters were really complex and compelling. There were a few things that confused me, but I'm assuming that's due to the cultural barrier going on here. The plot was paced well and engaging, and I think that Pearse added a lot of rich detail to her characters and world building. A also appreciated the little nods to actual sanatorium design as well as the rather colorful and often brutal histories of asylums around the world. For a debut book, I think it's really good!
I did have a few issues pertaining to the psychology of the suspects and perpetraitors. Some of their actions and ways they acted and reacted didn't make sense from a psychological perspective. They were common mistakes, but they still bugged me. Similarly, I had a few issues with details of the crime. I simply cannot find what type of respirator/mask the perpetraitor used anywhere on the internet. The closest thing I can find is a WWII era gas mask/respirator, but the tubing still connects to an outiside box, not the mask itself. I'm really curious as to if Pearse made that device up or if it's actually based on a real respirator that I can't seem to find. There were a lot of horrifying looking devices used back then that would have worked for a signature, so I find it a bit odd that she (seemlingly) chose to make something up instead. It's a small detail, but it still pulled me out of the story a bit.
Overall, a pretty good book! I'd defintely reccommend it to my friends and I'll probably read it's upcoming sequel.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy
kathyf1687's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
amarieb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Abortion