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d_audy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A very dark dive into one of the very dark periods of the Soviet Union, loosely inspired by the life of a true Russian serial killer. The story is relentless and well plotted, the mystery isn't the hardest to puzzle out but it's not the main focus of this psychological thriller that throws a realistic, uncompromising eye on the horrors of WWII and its aftermath in Eastern Europe, and on the paranoia, dehumanization and constant oppression of the last years of the Stalinian regime through the eyes of an officer of the MGB (the precursor of the better known KGB) caught in a spiral of events that may end costing him everything.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
sorcha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Excrement, and Cannibalism
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