Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Penance by Eliza Clark

45 reviews

tessa_specchio's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

woah 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, and Kidnapping

nialystic's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Lesbophobia, and Classism

Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Self harm, Stalking, Outing, and Sexual harassment

florenceassetto'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i really liked this one! part of me wishes it was not read during exam season but it is also the only thing that has kept me sane(ish) so i have to be thankful! the speculative aspect of the book in it's entirety is something i found really interesting and i REALLY enjoyed the messaging and commentary it does on the real world - i find it particularly interesting and especially well delivered. this is almost definitely a book that is going to haunt me for a while but for all the best reasons, most definitely a read i would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Vomit

notlikethebeer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.25

This was a quick and compulsive read - not quite one sitting, but very nearly! I really enjoyed the premise, both exploring the 'true'-ness of true crime, and the focus on the potential toxicity of teenage girls and their groups. However, I don't necessarily feel that it succeeded. The 'interview' at the end felt very tacked on, it would have been much better I think to have had explorations of that ilk throughout the book. As such, I wouldn't personally consider there to have been any great twist? I don't think I'll really remember reading this in a year or even a few months, which is a shame because it had some real promise.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Torture, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

bionicfox666's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

naturally's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit

artrobot5000's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Mass/school shootings, and Toxic friendship

exquis's review against another edition

dark funny sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, and Violence

carbs666's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I really like a book that bends the concept of truth and this book does an excellent job with that! The "true" account of a functional murder written by a scummy ex-journalist, the central narrative of the brutal murder of a high school girl by her classmates is bookended by fictional publishers notes and news articles describing how the narrator may have made it all - or most of it - up. There's a lot going on in this book and Clark does a great job if mimicking the narrative non-fiction true crim writing style, which occasionally meanders into historical sidebars that aren't totally relevant but add a lot of colour. Clark also display such a keen and detailed understanding of the experience of being a teenage girl throughout this book - the romantic answer sexual fumbling, the reversals of fortune, all of it. Strongly recommend if you like true crime or stories about people with questionable morals.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

caissa_chthonia's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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 absolutely loved it. It made me happy, it made me angry, I had a great time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide