Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - The Kind Worth Killing

This book is a wild ride. I truly never knew what was going to happen next, which was refreshing in a thriller - I've found many of them to be a little formulaic lately.

I will say, there is a lot going on. I had a long break in the middle when I had to return the book and wait for my turn again, and when I finally got it back I needed a big refresher on characters and motives.

Would have given it a full 5 for entertainment and surprise, but there were a few times where the author commented on some of the female characters physical appearance a little too much and in a way that felt kind of gross. Not sure how to explain, just very male gaze-y, and I didn't like it. Also the whole thing with the cop writing limericks felt off to me. Of course

Spoiler

it paid off and was relevant eventually because the poetry in his pocket is what got him fired and allowed Lily's attack to seem more like defense.

There is also a sequel, which I will probably read because the book does end off on a big cliff hanger.

There is one graphic description of violence against an animal, but it is skippable and does not affect the story line.

Content Warnings

unicornheart_books's review against another edition

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4.0

“The world turned suddenly dark, and a slight jolt of fear went through me. I looked up, and it was a single scrap of cloud that was blanking the moon. I watched it pass by, and the world was flooded again with moonlight.”

This was a solid read! The twists in this one were the ones that I guessed in some other light but did not see coming as it were genius takes on my guesses. I love how the story keeps you hooked from the start and keeps you entertained throughout. This book is definitely my cup of tea when it comes to unhinged characters and morally grey leads.

With that being said the Kimberly chapters and the writing at times were definitely not for me. I found them disgusting and unsettling, not in a good way but in a way that made me deeply uncomfortable. To be honest I hated all the male characters in this book and I don't know whether that was the intention of the author. While I was here for the women and their messed up morality, I despised the men in this book and everyone of them felt like a pervert in some way or the other. Those were the reasons that convinced me that this book was definitely not a 5 star read for me.

But apart from that I enjoyed this sort of messed up situations these characters were in and I found Lily's character to be fascinating, unhinged of course but intriguing and thrilling at the same time. Needless to say she was my favourite character and the very ending of this book made me panic to my core and that made it a solid thriller for me.

Overall a really enjoyable read if you're looking for a book that makes you wanna read the entire thing in one sitting, because trust me you can never get bored with a thriller like this!
♥️

Content Warnings

book_lover1028's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

heather_harrison's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Twisty murder mystery.

I went into my reading relatively blind, and expected it to be a retelling of “Strangers on a Train” (plane) but it definitely surpassed that.

Spoiler

All of the characters were unlikeable at best and sociopaths at worst. I enjoyed Lily’s chapters more. I found Ted to be repugnant and I ALMOST DNF’d based on his early chapters. The narrator also got under my skin to make it worse. After he died, I enjoyed the story more.

Content Warnings

nugsforbugs's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

5.0

so good and fast paced

Content Warnings

cutecooper's review

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

lostintheplot's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

An enjoyable murder/thriller. Interesting switches of points of view with unexpected twists and turns. Particularly enjoyed the sociopath Lily. Whilst the author takes great pains to describe the females bodies, he does an ok job when writing his female characters. Enjoyable overall.

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