Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

24 reviews

atranscryptid's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

nuvo's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

It's a bit slow for me, also at times I didn't care very much about some of the backstory. It's pretty gory at times, which isn't my favorite thing.

Also the storyline of the Dragon guy suddenly not wanting to kill anymore because of some random woman was a bit rushed imo. Also would have preferred if Dragon had just died in the fire, the last few chapters just felt awkward and unnecessary. That would have at least rounded him trying to stop for his almost-girlfriend up a lot better, now it just feels even more random.

I did enjoy (?) reading this, but I'm 98% sure I'm not rereading that ever again. But I will continue the series just because i want some more Hannibal the Cannibal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

hocuscrocus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This will always be one of my favorite books and I will always give it full stars whenever the opportunity arises. That being said, I'd only recommend it to others with some caveats.
First, there are some parts of this book that are truly disgusting. Read with caution and mind the content warnings.
Second, if your main exposure to this series is the NBC Hannibal adaptation, just know this is a very different style of storytelling. I've loved every bit of media related to this series from childhood (I may never understand why my dad let me watch Silence of the Lambs at 8) and I consider NBC's Hannibal to be a masterpiece. That said, the books are much more linear. Maybe a little dry at times. I personally enjoy Thomas Harris' writing style, but as always, your mileage may vary.

I could go on forever and ever about how much I love this book and the rest of the series but I'll spare the essay here. It's a great story to be enjoyed safely and with an open mind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racism and Dementia

frmeden's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Cannibalism

jaylee_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

volo's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I like this book because im obsessed with the Hannibal series. It very much feels like it was written back in 1988. Lots of racism and homophobia and very detailed childhood abuse. I dont like this Will Graham as much as I liked Edward Nortons Will Graham in the film adaptation or the NBC series but it was alright. Definitely a cult classic that probably wouldn't get the same following if published today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Medical content, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Many mentions of graphic childhood abuse. Graphic depictions of gore and torture. A fair amount of racism and homophobia.

thechocolatefinger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I actually think about this books a lot and how good it was. I really recommend and it’s much better than the film
it focusses on actual Francis not Hannibal so don’t expect stuff about Hannibal even though they put his name all on the front cover he’s just a minor character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

chelseachips's review against another edition

dark informative 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

alomie's review against another edition

challenging dark tense

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

4.0

This was a surprising win for me, I'm not a huge horror reader but I found this to be fast paced and I found myself reaching for it constantly to find out the ending. 

There are bits in this that genuinely made me squirm, it was rough to read and the constant intense threat of Francis Dolarhyde attacking again really makes you want the book to end. 

The final twist in the book did feel a little rushed in my opinion, and I would have in a rare moment preferred this book to be a little longer to give the final standoff just a bit more space and time to develop. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

rendezvous's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Cannibalism