Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

3 reviews

acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.0

An interesting thriller. I find that mental illness in thrillers can be very hit or miss. While I can't comment on the accuracy of the DID representation, it seems like the author is well-researched in this regard. The effect of trauma on the child psyche was definitely believable. Definite trigger warnings for murder/torture/mental illness/child abuse. I felt that the multiple points of view detracted from the story, but it was an enjoyable read overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

shereadsmysteries's review against another edition

emotional tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident

Ableism: Using DID as a plot device

gingerkathrynreads's review

dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced

2.0

I was given an ARC ebook copy free through Netgalley.

This book, sadly, just wasn't for me. I found the exploration of DID really interesting, and have read about/watched tv shows exploring the condition before. Penny's character and alters were really interesting to read about, I just wish we had more from her perspective - we are only given one chapter towards the end that gives us insight into what she's experiencing, but I wanted more. 

While I did find the mystery intriguing, which kept me reading to the end, I was frequently frustrated with the way it was written - very repetitive, and way too much time was spent on the characters discussing and theorising based on no evidence. I really struggle to enjoy a book when characters are making presumptions that lead them down the wrong path - I felt quite powerless as a reader, having to follow the plot constantly thinking "why are they doing this?" "why haven't they thought of that?" The reveals at the end took quite a leap of faith, and there had been no clues leading up to it, so it felt out-of-left-field and convenient; characters revealed they were hiding or 'hadn't thought of' relevant information that we were only given right at the end.

Additional small gripes - when Penny's British alter Ruby was speaking, she used words and phrases that didn't sound right, which was pretty disappointing as a British reader. There were also multiple spelling and grammar mistakes throughout the book, but hopefully these will be corrected for the final published copies. 

I can see why a lot of people would enjoy it, and I probably would still reccomend it to friends who would enjoy this specific kind of story. Overall, just not for me! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Car accident