Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Institute by Stephen King

16 reviews

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Institute focuses on two stories. In the first Tim Jamieson an ex cop who was let go due to a reckless decision and ends up hitch hiking to a small town in South Carolina. He decides to stay a while as both a night knocker and an unloader at the train station, and gets to know the town. In the second, Luke Ellis is a very intelligent 12-year-old boy about to attend both MIT and Emerson. But in the middle of the night he is kidnapped and taken to The Institute a place that doesn't care about his intelligence, only about his minor telekinetic ability. All the kids here are used and abused, but the employees have gotten a little lax. It will take everything look has to be able to escape. 

I think Stephen King really excels when he writes stories about children. His stories with adolescent teen boys are some of the most compelling and well written. The story doesn't have the normal tendency to go off the rails but is a great analysis of power and what those who have too much of it choose to do with it. Stories where "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" are where King shines the most, the absolute horror of having zero power and control in a situation reaches into some deep fear inside of us. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, and Cursing

Moderate: Racial slurs, Addiction, Bullying, Chronic illness, Racism, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Ableism

spooderman's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.5

the book was good but i would’ve chosen someone other than santino fontana to narrate it. idk i think he’s great in general but i didn’t vibe with his narration

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical trauma, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Vomit, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, and Bullying

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cancer, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Gore, and Grief

Minor: Misogyny, Alcohol, Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Racism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Excrement, Car accident, Drug abuse, and War

em_chata's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I’ve read this book twice now. It is by far one of my favorite books of all time, partially because of Stephen King’s writing and partially because it can appeal to people from a variety of age groups. I’ve always admired his way of researching and incorporating that into his work, and Luke Ellis is one of my favorite characters. He’s not made out to be anything incredibly special, and he doesn’t turn into a superhuman, but his character develops incredibly over the course of the book. I will always give it five stars:)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Child abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Violence, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

pkc's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I finished this in conjunction with the audiobook, reading the last 200+ pages in my physical copy and…King remains one of my favourite authors BUT this just wasn’t it for me. It felt a bit like he’d bitten off more than he could chew and the end was rushed with a resolution that could be described as shaky at best. I rated it as highly as I did because the final set piece was epic. It either needed to be expanded or drastically cut back. I can’t decide which. I will say though. The authors note at the end of my copy brought a wee tear to my eye.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Confinement, Cursing, Self harm, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

book_s1ut's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Bullying, Child death, Torture, Classism, Alcohol, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Confinement

heckinchimken's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Torture, Death, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Child death

Minor: Suicide, Murder, and Cursing

ellagewerwhite's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Child abuse, Murder, Child death, Drug use, Slavery, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racial slurs

mandaraffe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Stalking, Suicide, Vomit, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Addiction, and Bullying

Minor: Misogyny, War, Racial slurs, Sexism, Islamophobia, and Police brutality

alysson's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Cursing

maddycumerlato's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I’ve put off writing my review for this book because I felt like I couldn’t find the words to describe how much I loved it. I still don’t think I have the words but I’m going to try. 

This is my first Stephen King novel, and as soon as I put it down after reading the last page, I went to my local bookstore and bought two more of his titles. I never understood the hype about King before, but now I get it. His writing is superb, more immersive and emotional than the dozens and dozens of authors I’ve read in the last few years. It’s incredibly fitting of the horror genre.

This story is not the type of strange paranormal horror we expect from King, but commits instead to dark and eerie “realistic” horror, something that could affect people just like ourselves. Hundreds of kids go missing every year and wake up to find themselves in The Institute, <spoilers> a facility in rural Maine meant to test and strengthen the very limits of their minds. These kids are special, have proven in one way or another that they can traverse mind and space in ways others cannot </spoilers>. The people running this facility <spoilers> have plans to use these abilities for their own benefit in a twisted illusion of saving the world, but </spoilers> must train them in brutal procedures. It’s torture, to be completely honest. If child torture a dealbreaker, turn away now… although if you enjoy Stephen King, I figure you’re numb to that sort of thing anyways. 

Move with me now to South Carolina, where a man decides to trust his instincts and start a new life for himself. His story seems plain and disconnected, and will become a forgotten memory by the time the stories of the Institute children take the spotlight. But let me tell you… <spoilers> as soon as the word Dupree once more caught my eye halfway through the novel, I had to put my copy down and sit with it for a few minutes. The transition and combination of these two stories was GENIUS. I know it’s possible and probably easy with enough planning, but the way King pulled it off was so stellar. I don’t think I will ever forget that moment.

King’s talent in writing young kids comes out strong in this novel. There’s the immaturity we expect from their outer selves, but also the maturity that stays hidden and unused in many young kids unless absolutely needed. Having to learn so much about death and pain so quickly developed these senses so strongly, it makes you want to cry for these kids. I did.

Each character is immensely thought out and perfectly brought to life, and the story falls into place so effortlessly and clearly. I’m shocked this is not King’s biggest novel yet, and am thoroughly anticipating the same hype for the Institute that It and The Shining get. 

Truly some of the best art to leave Stephen King’s mind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, and Gun violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Cursing