Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Sundial by Catriona Ward

187 reviews

sardinetin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

ellenskone's review against another edition

4.0

Read the content warnings! This is not an easy read. This book is going to haunt me for a while. It was almost 5 stars but it lost me a bit at the end. It has a semi ambiguous ending and also an ambiguous potential twist that may or may not make any sense. But overall I really liked it. Maybe like isn't the word because it's so disturbing but it will definitely stick with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting

stabilesero's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Now this is finally a type of Thriller I can get behind. The perfect mix of shocking, horrifying plot with little bits of intrigue and suspense. 
I can't say I was a huge fan of the main character, Rob, but I loved Callie. I maybe empathised a bit too much with the sullen, I-hate-everyone-but-I'm-entirely-misunderstood trope but I love it. I found Callie to be really endearing and thoroughly looked forward to getting to her next perspective to see what the other spin was to her side of what was going on. 
I found Sundial as a location vastly interesting, as well as Rob & Jack's childhood with the dogs and scientific experiments.

It all very much plays into the psychology of "Are you born evil/bad, and can that be scientifically changed or environmentally/nurtured to change". 

I usually really struggle to connect with US settings/locations because I'm from the UK; whether it be lack of description or the same overused descriptions, but Ward really pulled off the Californian desert setting. It was done beautifully and gave it every justice it deserved. 
I think Ward is going to be one of my top Thriller authors, and I am very keen to pick up more of her work.
Also, just f**k Rob's husband.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, and Miscarriage

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

justlurkin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Violence

romes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Murder

crowyhead's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

laneychaney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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? No

5.0

This book was eerie and unsettling and I loved it! The plot twists, especially the last one, were insane and I did not see them coming ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity

lopstrosity's review

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse

Minor: Miscarriage

jrocbutterfly's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This book passes a little slowly at the beginning but does not take long to Amp up to a full throttle roller coaster. Told from 2 perpecrives, one of Rob and one of her daughter Callie. Sundial is a terrifying tale of the question, does human experience or true nature make a person evil. Or is it a little bit of both. Ward keeps you guessing through the whole book on what is true, what you truly know, and what really happened. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Self harm, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy