Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Passengers by John Marrs

9 reviews

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow this is my first book by this author! I really loved this book. It was so deep and incredibly intelligent. The passengers are not who you think they are. You can predict nothing except for maybe what happens with Jack 🤪at the very end. I could not put this book down. It’s so fantastic. Anyone who loves a thriller will absolutely love this one. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

andreabey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy

thequiltyreader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-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

4.5

Wow. If you are looking for a book that offers twists and turns then this is the book for you. This near future thriller offers you twist after twist, keeping you on your toes and always guessing. I also found myself disgusted by some of the decision made but then I can see they are sadly reflective of what probably would happen in this day and age.

I really enjoyed the exploration of the impact of making decisions based on the information you have to hand which is perhaps not reflective of the full picture.

This was the first John Marrs book I have read and I flew through it as I just had to know what would happen next. I am now on the look out for more of his books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

mairi99's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

The beginning chapters were slow but the pacing was good after that.  I enjoyed the suspense of the novel and liked this take on AI.  An interesting multilayered plot with well developed characters was enhanced by a full cast audiobook.  I enjoyed it but it was dark and some of the back stories were tough.  I'd reccommend checking the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

sarah_amy's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

A re-read after finishing The One for the first time recently. Equally as fantastic the second time around. Marrs' speculative fiction books give off very Black Mirror vibes, where it feels like a very possible near-future if technology advances just the slightest. I love how this book dared to deliver on some of the threats, which kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, not actually knowing whether good would prevail as expected. A great cast of characters, all very diverse, and the story twisted in ways you didn't expect. After reading The Passengers and The One, it's certainly given me a lot to think about regarding just how much of my information is available online & how much someone could find out about me if they really dug deep - not just personal details such as location and financial, but even niche things...such as my taste in books! One things for certain...I don't think I'll ever trust self-driving cars after reading this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Vomit

sophieamreacher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

Interesting plot and characters, as well as unexpected plot twists, but I felt it went on longer than needed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is an intense story. I love each passenger's stories. Libby and the rest of the jurors had unique personalities, especially Jack. I rarely read futuristic stuff and I'm glad that I picked this up because it was interesting. 

The "hacker" was so interesting. The dark themes such as pedophilia, suicide, etc. made my skin crawl. I was so mad at Sofia's husband, Patrick. He dared to threaten her about his dark side. Disgusting was an understatement. 

Oh, Sofia thinking that she joined a reality TV show was hilarious until it didn't. 

Heide blackmailing his cheating husband was awesome in a way that he had a taste of his own medicine. The squirming and mine games made it all worth it. 

The ending was interesting as well. And the triple life of Jude. Hey Jude✨

Thank you, John❤️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and War

emeraldsanto's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

3.5

The Passengers by John Marrs is a gripping and fast-paced thriller that explores the potential dangers of self-driving cars. The story follows eight passengers who are locked inside their autonomous vehicles and forced to play a deadly game orchestrated by an unknown hacker. With their lives on the line, the passengers must race against time to uncover the hacker's identity and save themselves.

While the concept of the book is intriguing and the plot is well-paced, as someone who works in IT I found some of the technical aspects of the story to be a bit tacky or exaggerated. The book is clearly written with a layperson audience in mind, and some of the technological details may not be entirely accurate or plausible.

That being said, Marrs does a good job of keeping the reader engaged with his skillful use of suspense and multiple perspectives. Each passenger's backstory is revealed through a series of flashbacks, which adds depth and complexity to the characters. The ending of the book is surprising and satisfying, wrapping up the story in a neat and unexpected way.

Overall, while The Passengers may not be entirely realistic in its portrayal of technology and cybersecurity, it's still an enjoyable and thrilling read. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns, then The Passengers is definitely worth a look.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism