Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder

4 reviews

hanyaya's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.75

Starts slow but gets extremely violent. Kept catching myself saying "oh there's no way it's going to go there..." before it absolutely did. Not even just in 1937 Nanjing, which was, unfortunately, expected. Just because it was obvious what the medicine was doesn't mean it wasn't a horrible march towards the reveal.

I found Grey and Jason just so uninteresting that I didn't want to spend time with them, and the idea that she'd become the most popular hostess by talking about her studies of Nanjing and asking the men if their families had committed war crimes there was strange, but whatever. Grey felt a little like she wasn't a character so much as whatever she needed to be in the moment -- rash and emotional at one moment, calm and rational the next. Patient enough to wait years, impatient enough to be incapable of a conversation that gives us information. Smart enough to study this for so long and figure out the puzzle, that the twist of her ignorance no longer felt genuine but rather just convincing herself, and maybe that's the point.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Blood, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Sexual assault

girlpuck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

cappitak's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

angela_iseli's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and War

Moderate: Forced institutionalization