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rarasreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
In listening to the audiobook, I appreciated the distinct styles with which Detective Kaga and Osamu are portrayed and narrate their POVs. The Detective is clever and thorough with his investigation, although I did find it a bit convenient that he relied on his hunches that always ended up being correct. However, I still enjoyed the process by which Kaga conducted his interviews and procedures to connect the dots between the past and present. Osamu was all the over place, crafting stories to throw the Detective and readers off.
I liked how the Detective pieced the motive together at the end with a bit of a twist. Nevertheless, the ending still left me wanting a bit more clarity. I certainly want to try more Japanese crime fiction but I don’t think I will be continuing this particular series.
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
claireshields's review
- 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
4.25
Minor: Rape
hoppyread's review
- 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
4.0
Minor: Bullying and Rape
hikajelny's review
- 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
4.0
I was quite surprised to find out how fast the story progressed - when it came to thriller or detective theme story, the plot tended to be drawled out in a way that it felt the detective was “struggling” with the challenge through long description and abundance of hints to be parsed through but it was different for this book. It didn’t mean that the challenge didn’t exist, it was present strongly but written in a way that lulled you into a false sense of security. You were as confused as the characters — it was at the very least, basic in the manner of description to fit the image of, “This is it, this is what we know and there’s no need to talk poetry about it.” Hence, the fast pacing of the story (at the very least to me).
The characters portrayed are also very on-ground. It evoked strong emotions from you, whether it’s sense of justice, dread, pity, with the careful way the author wrote and developed them. It was truly brilliant with the way the author would call back and maintained the identity of the characters, then presenting it in a way that might lead you to believe otherwise.
It’s definitely a worth read — my guts were basically free falling and my brain worked overtime trying to piece everything out.
Minor: Bullying and Rape
a1exander's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Rape, Terminal illness, Car accident, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Infidelity and Suicide
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Malice is the first of a different series. It focuses more on plot than character. The man arrested for murder is such an unreliable narrator that it’s hard to see what he’s truly like. We learn more about Detective Kaga, and his guilt and remorse at failing a student who was being bullied back in his teacher days, but we don’t know anything else about him. We know nothing about his private life, his friends and family, his likes and dislikes - his character isn’t developed at all.
The plot, which is explained early on, changes repeatedly. The readers aren’t sure what’s true, and I found it confusing to have to keep rearranging my idea of what had happened. In the end I felt it was more of an overly complicated annoyance than a plot twist. That said, I’m about to start reading the second in the series to see what happens next.
Overall the book was complex and convoluted and, as such, was quite a feat. But I didn’t find it completely satisfying.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Rape, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
x_tora's review
- 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? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Bullying and Rape
seaoftranquility's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Bullying and Rape
nico_asteri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Rape
fraise's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Infidelity, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail