Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Hide by Kiersten White

16 reviews

theoceanrose's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Gaslighting

sleepyshelves's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I went into this unbelievably excited. Like read-the-synopsis-turned-to-my-mom-and-cackled excited. About 60% of the way through I was feeling let down because it wasn't what I had anticipated it to be. Now that I've finished, I'm glad I pushed through that 60-75% mark.
I never thought when I was younger that my favorite part of the book would be the author's note or acknowledgements at the end, but Kiersten White's finak thoughts really made this whole book for me. There were so many choices that I couldn't quite understand, and reading her parting words, everything just...clicked.
This is a great book. It is a wonderful experience, and it draws so beautifully from its inspiration - though that's dark, bizarre, and even unexpectedly classical. I really feel as though the book suffered from its marketing and copy. The book design itself is gorgeous (shout out to books that tell you about the typeface used, you're the real ones!), BUT the jacket copy lends itself to a different narrative. One that sets readers up for a bit of a strange ride.
White's voice in this book is just so cinematic. I found myself reading passages aloud to my gf because they were just so cleverly rendered.
Ultimately, mixed feelings about it but generally very positive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, and War

teaandtalesink's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Classism

emalda's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and War

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

3.5

Exceptionally creepy and disturbing. This would make a really cool movie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

minaopal's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

cady_sass's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

“The Cabin in the Woods” but set it in an decrepit amusement park. That’s it, that’s the plot. 

This was SO promising. A hide and seek competition with a potentially sinister backstory, 14 people in a hunger-games style competition to battle to the end for $50k? Set in a creepy, run down amusement park? Sign me up! Also, that cover! 😍

Unfortunately there are just too many characters and all of them lack depth, I couldn’t tell you anything interesting about ANYONE except for Mack, the most primary character, and even her backstory is muddy and doesn’t feel fully fleshed out. Honestly the best part was the ending, and the very last line in the book- “who fucking cares”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

jenc's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Pretty good collection of wheelhouse tropes that I can tell you about because they're spoilers. Also really good character explorations, some more meaningful and finished than others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

kcelena's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

booksofautumn's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A really good thriller novel that contains just enough to be considered horror without being overly gory. It reads really fast and kept me entertained the whole time. A good read for Halloween 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail