Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Stone Maidens by Lloyd Devereux Richards

8 reviews

lbkenna's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I saw this book and the authors story on instagram last year and had to order both Stone Maidens and Maidens of the Cave. This book did not disappoint and I’m looking forward to reading the next. Good paced and leaves you wondering what’s going to happen next. A great book for people who enjoy true-crime, mysteries and thrillers. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Kidnapping, and Murder

elysianbud's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

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

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Cannibalism and Stalking

lovelymisanthrope's review

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Death of parent

sylvestra's review

dark mysterious 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse

sdemo08's review

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.]

---

Content Warnings

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

tyriek's review

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

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Animal death and Rape

bruhnette's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Cannibalism, and Murder