Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

57 reviews

nattyyllie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. This book is absolutely incredible. It was thrilling and enticing all the way through to the end. One of the best plot and character combinations I've read in quite some time. Highly recommend for those who aren't afraid of letting their mind wander into dark places in search of answers to this mystery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Stalking

kyliejade322's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

swit2900's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

spaghettii's review against another edition

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

2.0

Somewhat predictable, did not love the mental health as a plot device but I think it was done with good intentions

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

katreena's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

zeldazonks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

It got to a certain point when I was listening to this, that I thought I had it figured out but I was still curious enough to finish and see how everything played out. Well, more fool me, because this book took me completely by surprise on 2 or 3 occasions. Towards the end it was quite tough to get through, so check trigger warnings.

I will also say that I'm not 100% convinced about the mental health representation/portrayal in this. While in the afterword the author does clarify more about the disorder and the research they did into it, the fact of the matter is that you are led to believe a very specific narrative about Ted through most of the novel and while the book does catch you off guard, and challenge the preconceived notions you have about predators and good vs bad people, I just don't think the book carries it off well enough to completely avoid perpetuating stereotypes or harm. This was interesting and quite unique, but I think it almost undermines it's own point in how obviously you're walked down the garden path for the majority of the book. I respect the bold choices - the pov of a cat for example, and

I think I'll be mulling over this one for a little bit, but I don't know that it managed to fully pull off what it was trying to do. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bxnnny's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

this is quite the sleeper hit. a bit of a slower start, somewhat hard to get into, but once you're in it, you can't stop. everything coming together piece by piece by the end is truly enthralling. every detail matters so pay attention! definitely go into it as blind as you can. heavy content warning with this one though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

pretty heavy content warning.

mental disorders a main theme.

hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

It’s a bit of weird read but I enjoyed it! I called one twist but the other got me.

A religious lesbian cat though? Wasn’t expecting her.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

melliedm's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Vomit, and Abandonment

chrisljm's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.75

I've never really found myself enjoying twists in thriller novels because they often feel like the author trying to pull a fast one on me, but I think it's done well in this book and I was positively stunned I must say. I thought I was able to see what was coming but I truly didn't. This was a very unique story, so creative, and honestly more than being a thriller, it was very sad. 

I can tell the author truly did her research on DID and I really appreciate that. I enjoyed reading the ending author's note where she detailed her research process, as well as the people and resources she utilized. I also love seeing her inclusion of a bibliography with all her sources.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia