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: Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Infertility, Medical content, Torture, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
bekah1210's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, and Death
Moderate: Rape and Child death
Minor: Mental illness and Abortion
korolevakotykiv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Medical content
jamiejanae_6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Stalking, and Torture
books4em's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Medical content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Violence, Death, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape and Toxic relationship
booking_along'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? It's complicated
4.0
first -since that’s something i always have to mention and it’s one of the few times i have to applaud the author for her good work with it!- this book has french and german in it since it takes place in Switzerland and that make sense, and it’s very well done! both language where perfectly translated!
i have to be loud and happy about that because it’s sadly so rare to have a well done translation in a book but in this one? perfect! was it just a handful of moments throughout this entire book? yes. did i notice it anyways and how well it was done? yes! so high praise to the author for actually doing a good job with the details!
okay rest of the actual book!
the crime elements?
super interesting and very well timed and spaced out.
the entire setting and how the details how to all connects are so well done.
how the main character had her own struggles and how that work for and against her pretty equally and made her even more realistic and human-like.
i enjoy how this whole book was solved and wrapped up and the entire build up to it and all that, well done.
the book kept me second guessing who the bad guy is and why it is all happening? it made sense and while i didn’t really think anyone could have really followed all the clues and go the bad guy at the end of it with how this book as done up, that’s not a negative with how it was all wrapped up.
and the entire thing with the crappy masks? that just added to the entire creepiness throughout the book.
what i didn’t love was the plot point of elin‘s childhood and her brothers. i get that it added a layer to the character and it worked with her doubting herself and her ability to work as well as trusting in general but i also thing the entire Sam plot could have been skipped and it would haven’t made a large difference since Elin did have a traumatic work situation that would have worked just as well?
it wasn’t a huge deal but i didn’t love the entire plot point of Sam and how that was wrapped up.
i also didn’t see the necessity of the epilogue.
it’s just there to throw this huge question mark into it all or make the reader curious about the next installment of the series to see what’s going to happen with that.
and i see how that might work with some readers but i personally dislike that. i want crime/thriller/mystery series wrapped up in each book individually and just want to continue reading because the characters are so fantastic that i want to continue reading about them and keep coming back to them like meeting up with an old friend on a way.
i don’t need some kind of strange teaser thingy that makes me question what’s going on.
personal thing through.
overall?
this was great.
well written, well build up of tension and thrill with slight horrific elements thrown in and good characters.
if you want slower build up to your thrill and don’t mind a bit of jump scare and dangerous setting?
this is a great one!
Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape, Toxic friendship, and Stalking
lillyrose97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Kidnapping, Child death, Death, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
meecespieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent
notsoquietgrrl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It’s definitely an intriguing setting, and as we learn more about the gruesome past of the sanatorium, and the egomaniacal hotelier’s determination to obscure it, I really hoped the conclusion, and the string of murders, would lead to something a bit more complex and interesting.
Instead, the explanation relies on one of the worst tropes in thrillers,
Spoiler
the rape victim/mentally ill person turned murderer. In this case, we have both. The most ridiculous part? Despite the fact that both murderers claim that they are acting in the name of women victims, all but one of the murder victims in this book is a woman. Make it make sense! The author seems to want to examine the theme of control over women’s bodies, but decides to also have three women be graphically and brutally murdered (by other women!). The Scooby Doo style confession at the end topped it all off. Also, nail polish?!Some positive points to end on. The writing style felt tight until the last 15%, and I actually didn’t guess exactly what was going on until the end, so it kept me entertained at least.
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
Moderate: Child death
peter3's review
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Infertility, Abortion, Torture, and Rape