Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

5 reviews

emsavors's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

This book is absolutely incredible! I’m not entirely sure that I find the ending believable, but given how good the rest of the book is - I don’t even care!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

little_lida's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Abandonment

Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

balkanbruiser's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Yet another generational trauma book to the list :]. It's really concrete in the way it wants to make you feel considering it's from the POV of the main character or other side characters. But there is room for judgement, both of the characters and the author. 
Either way, the book is a pretty fast read, chapters flowing from one to the other and the overall tone is dark. Yet hopeful too, in a sense. 
Many times I had to stop and breathe due to the unfairness of situations, but there were not many moments of outright bitterness. The author was really clever in the way he solved problems, too! Also, expect a lot of pointing at the screen and reliving moments of your childhood in the East.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Torture

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.  

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Content Warnings

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

sas_ram's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.25

Review might follow soon 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail