Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Overnight Guest [Large Print] by Heather Gudenkauf

12 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. The story was deeply upsetting, I was really rooting for the characters, and it was super scary. I had a bit of an idea about some of the events before they unfolded, but I didn't mind. A very fun read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Confinement, Car accident, Child death, Bullying, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment, Eating disorder, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Rape

Minor: Vomit, Torture, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Abortion

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Extremely predictable from the start, you know exactly what you’re going to get and what happens as soon as enough if set up. The story is extremely simple but it does scratch a certain itch in the fall/winter. Overall not bad! A good in between read for when you don’t really wanna dive into too much

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Child death, Violence, Vomit, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Blood, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Excrement

kt2e56's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

3.0

Fairly compelling! Definitely a page turner! I think this fell victim though to the problem I have with most thrillers lately: the author is so wrapped up in preserving their big reveal at the end that a lot of the description about characters feels pretty bland or nonexistent outside of the flashbacks to the past. It’s extra infuriating here because some of these reveals are very easy to guess and the reader picking up on them ahead of time wouldn’t really hinder the book all that much. The characters all feel very lifeless and sort of blend together.

The ending also felt a bit rushed but the plot itself does make up for that. It’s certainly entertaining.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Car accident, Confinement, Murder, Sexual assault, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit, Cursing, Alcoholism, Excrement, Medical trauma, Drug use, Drug abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Stalking

jkarki's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Car accident, Blood, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Murder, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Alcohol, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Self harm, and Vomit

terrik_409'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

So taut and engaging, I couldn't stop reading. Love the way Gudenkauf seemingly has these discordant storylines that come together 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Blood, Torture, Rape, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

espressoreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence

Minor: Pedophilia, Murder, Torture, Rape, Sexual violence, and Miscarriage

phantasmaboo's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The Overnight Guest follows the story Wylie Lark, who goes to a remote cabin to finish writing her book and escape some family troubles. When a snowstorm hits, she finds a small child and a woman outside. She takes them in, unaware of their dark past or that someone is hunting them. 

I have some mixed feelings about this book. The characters are well-developed and the plot maintains a good pace. I did think that a lot of the time jumping between chapters was unnecessary after a certain point, because it was fairly easy to see where the plot was going before it actually got there. After that point, it felt like the author was simply trying to elongate the plot and throw in some red herrings, and it got a bit tiresome. I would have preferred to have spent more time with the people in the present than in the past, building their characters through who they are now. 

I also think the plot lost a lot of steam toward the end. The final chapters reminded me of a college student who has to hit a word count and just keeps on writing. The inhuman strength of one character in particular is really hard to believe. I would have preferred tension be built through the addition of stronger and more profound plot lines than start and stop action sequences. 

Finally, this book relies highly on female/femme/uterus havers traumas to drive the plot forward. There is also implications of pedophilia.

Spoiler

The author provides details of rape, miscarriages, pedophilia, and abuse that may be shocking.

It was very difficult to read about such events, and the fact that they featured so prominently really set me back a bit.

That being said, this book was not “bad”. It definitely was thrilling, although somewhat predictable. I recommend it, but suggest checking the trigger warnings before you start. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Vomit, Violence, Miscarriage, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape

christyjoreads's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Spoiler

Ugh. Some random chick recommended this book and my book group said "sure, why the heck not?" And it sucked.

1. They escape the basement and run right back in.
2. He bolts the door, but wait 'there's a window'....hello? a window the whole time they could escape from?
3. She gets a gun and won't shoot her captor but shoots around him like a dumb-ass.
4. Drama but finally her own kid shoots her father in the head because 'he just won't die'

I hope these books get better for this year, because this one was underwhelming.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, Rape, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Murder

babyjay's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The suspense of this book was pretty intense for me, and I won’t lie, I seriously considered turning on a night light! I’m pretty wimpy but the story had enough of a hook to keep me engaged. It’s a good book and if you like crime/suspense novels pick it up! I won’t go into plot details, just wanted to give my two cents on why this isn’t a 5 star for me. 

It should be. The characters are complex and realistic even in extraordinary situations. However, the snippets told from law enforcement perspective are just a little too hero worship-y for me. The stereotypical badass female from headquarters with an eagle eye and a soft touch for witnesses, the rogue cop with his own rules who will stop at nothing to chase a lead, the good hearted sherif that just really *knows* these people. 

Not only is it boring but dangerous! Telling stories where cops who terrorize to get information are doing the “wrong thing for the right reasons” glamorizes the abusive system that kills and brutalizes just because they can. The author also leans heavily on the self destructive alcoholic war veteran who creeps everyone out. The man has severe PTSD that goes untreated along with a difficult and painful life. Writing him into a story in such an unforgiving way and continuing to abuse his character throughout the book is gross. Vets have enough trouble as it is, no need to perpetuate the stereotypes of them being violent, dangerous, and unstable. 

The chapters in this book that include the aforementioned BS are short and infrequent, get swollowed up by the actual action of the story, and generally have very little to do with the plot. If you can ignore the filler it’s worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Car accident, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Terminal illness, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Physical abuse

annelihghh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Murder, Death of parent, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Child death, Abandonment, Vomit, Miscarriage, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death, Misogyny, and Car accident

Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Cursing, Alcohol, Gore, and Sexual assault