Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Devil and the Dark Water

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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

30 reviews

satsumaorange's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This book slowly got less interesting over time - possibly because it's so long, but possibly because I took a very long time to read it. Maybe I'm just a little dumb, but I felt like the ending came out of nowhere and was very abrupt. I was really invested in Arent and Sammy's dynamic from the very first page - which kept me invested throughout most of the book, hoping to see more of them interacting together.

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kimberlyswalters's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I know how unlikely it is, but I'd willingly read stories of Sammy & Arent's previous mysterious in a heartbeat. They sound so thrilling and wonderful, which is just a testament to how amazing this book is. The few times their past cases are mentioned is more than enough to convince me of their greatness. I would also read a sequel

about how they manage and pull off their plans afterwards and spin Old Tom into a warning for horrible noble people to fear

. The afterward/apology at the end was also a delight to read. I think I just really love Stuart Turton's writing. It makes me giddy. I feel excitement like I imagine Sara and Lia probably did reading stories of Sammy & Arent's cases. I can't wait for his next book (although I'm well aware it will have nothing to do with this story, and that's fine. My wants are just praise for his world-building.). All of this is just me trying to say that if you're reading my review, you should read this book. I love it.

Addressing the afterward;
P.S. I imagine Arent as John Cena, but gruffer. Not necessarily sexy, but not not sexy.

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tish12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Yes I did get lost a few times where the story sort of slowed down but it then picked up again each time. There has been a few people complain about the

storm that takes place saying it went on for too many chapters, but honestly I feel it was just enough or maybe just a little more could have been said

I love the result at the end I did have my guesses. I won't spoil this on you. I would have loved to have seen a little bit more chemistry between Arent and Sara but at the author says in the end of the book letter from the author he didn't want it to turn into a story all about them, or Arent being the sexy bodyguard kind of character. But has said that if you wish to do so then that is what you shall have.
All in all I do recommend this book a adventure to read, there are a few gruesome scenes taking place in the book. But nothing over the top.

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bc288's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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lostpaperbacks's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Wow. Fast-paced, suspenseful and captivating. I knew I'd enjoy this one right from the first line. The first few chapters might be hard to follow with so many characters being introduced but as the story progresses, that won't be a problem. The writing really brought the ship alive, I can vividly imagine myself being on the ship amongst them.

The ending might be a little underwhelming and not that shocking but that didn't matter. I enjoyed the journey so much. The murders and sightings are so suspenseful I remember one time I got shivers for what's about to come. That's how immersed I was with this.

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claresbookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

5 out of 5 stars.

This was genuinely such a fun book to get through.

I knew going into it that it was going to be slightly different than Turton's first novel (The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle), but his writing style was so unique in that book that I knew that it would slip through to this novel as well. And I was right. Despite it not following the perspectives of as many characters, the narrative flowed in such a natural way that it kept the pace of the story consistent throughout.

There wasn't a single moment in this book where I felt like things were dragging or taking too long. And most importantly, I couldn't figure out the mystery. I had my suspicions on certain characters, but not clear motive or means. So when everything was explained at the end, it was a surprise and yet it all made sense.

Also, I loved the little nod to Evelyn during the explanation. Very cute touch.

To be fair, I know Turton has stated that he likes writing stand-alone novels with new characters but if he really wanted to he could use that to create a pretty cool little connected universe.

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