Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

65 reviews

beebalm's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Car accident

ka_ke's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

It’s okay. I appreciate the complexity behind the need to protect ones sister, and protecting oneself by reporting the crime. It’s not easy to be in that position and I believe it was portrayed well. 

Otherwise the book gets very repetitive and eventually you figure out where it’s going 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Gore, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, and Death of parent

yomireads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

What I love most about this book are the evolving characters. From the beginning to the end of the book I wouldn't say there's a whole lot of growth for any character in particular; however, the non linear story-telling adds complexity to what could easy be written off as "she's good, she's bad, and its always been this way." Though through the haggard circumstances of murder, the fraught nature of sibling dynamics is well realized as they squabble with each other, harp about each other, and love each other.

Usually the overall lack of growth would be a very big disappointment to me, but the sense of dread and feeling of inevitability that surrounds the conclusion of this book feels very nuanced to me. And though it's a small change,

Spoiler

there is a sense of the sister's relationship become more resolute and settled.

 

Stylistically, I also found the chapters to be just a smidgen too short. I don't mind quick chapters, but sometimes keeping the chapters so brief feels like it's cutting the plot and story momentum off at the knees. I know this isnt a largely popular opinion, so take that as you will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Misogyny and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse and Medical content

_mjreads_'s review against another edition

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

4.0

I loved this debut! The audiobook is so well done.
I don’t really feel like this feels like a thriller, more like a family drama. Overall it was a great short read.
The ending had me a little mad not going to lie.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood and Murder

Minor: Gaslighting and Child abuse

hayleyvem's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction

maggiejean's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting, Blood, and Child abuse

trekkifulshay's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Medical content, Bullying, and Infidelity

ahhhreadzombiez's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

This book hmm… I got through it very fast (in two days, really) but does that mean I enjoyed it? Well, not exactly. I didn’t enjoy the characters; it’s very hard to read a book when you don’t like a single character in it. And I can’t help but feel I continued to read it because I wanted to just see it through to the end and hope, just really hope that the characters would have some type of development that would make them just a tad bit enjoyable. It was just a tragic story with what felt like no real point. I wish I liked this more, but it just… didn’t do it for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Grief, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape and Pedophilia

traa's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Medical content, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Blood, and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Sexual content

nefariousbee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.75

this book could have been good if it went deeper into everyone's psyches. as it is now, it's just average which is honestly a shame. also the author seems not to realize how not good of a person the main character is which doesn't help its case

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Bullying, and Toxic relationship