Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

5 reviews

lisaloveslions's review against another edition

challenging dark

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, and Cursing

eadrianschmitz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 The King of villains strikes again. Excited to see what Ret. Det. Hodges, Jerome, and Holly are up to in the next installment and Holly's solo novel. Will Patton's narration is :chef's kiss:


**Spoilers below**

There's something slightly self-indulgent in writing about characters obsessed with a writer.
Everything about the rec center feels too lucky: That Morris finds the rec center as a haven as well, that Pete's mom still being conscious enough to notice where Pete went including that he took a key from the wall, that it was the only key missing and the key hook was labeled. Just all aligned a little too neatly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

theimposter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

chupacobbruh's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Murder

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.25

For a book that promised me buried treasure, Finders Keepers was extremely disappointing.

One of the things that made Mr. Mercedes so interesting was the villain.  While I was never keen on Bill Hodges, Brady Hartsfield was twisted and interesting.  A strong King villain. Morris Bellamy... is... not.  His motive was weak and tired.  And while our young POV Pete Saubers had potential to be interesting, I found King's other young protagonists (Jake Chambers!) to be much more compelling.

Basically, Finders Keepers is tired.  The story offers nothing that other King novels don't already do better.  There's a little The Body (Stand By Me, for movie fans) and a lot of Misery in the plot, but without the suspense or intrigue of either.  Bill Hodges, our series lead, doesn't even appear until at least 70% of the way through the book, and even then, he's just another one of King's nondescript cantankerous old white men characters without anything to make him appeal to the reader.  King's written better villains and better protagonists.

What's more, for a seasoned writer, it's disappointing how apparent the second-book-blues are in Finders Keepers.  This book feels very much like a bridge between Mr. Mercedes and End of Watch.  For me, Mr. Mercedes was an average-to-interesting book... and the sheer boredom of Finders Keepers really has me in a place where even Brady Hartsfield's return in End of Watch can't tempt me back to finish the series.

The pacing is really rough.  This is a common attribute of King's books.  We spend the first third of the book getting to know Morris and Pete's individual histories.  At about 50%, the plot starts moving forward.  A little.  At 70% we have Bill, Holly, and Jerome enter.  All the real action happens in the last 15% of the book, pushed through quickly and tied up in a not particularly satisfying way.  I'm left with a feeling that everyone suffered - myself and the characters alike - for no real purpose here.

And yet, somehow, this is one of King's short novels.

I suppose King fans should check this one out, and those who really enjoy crime novels.  Personally, I can think of a dozen better recommendations if you're looking to pick up a Stephen King novel.  And while I don't read a lot of crime thrillers, I'm sure there are more compelling recommendations out there for those as well.  Finders Keepers is a hard pass.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit