aniwillow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual violence, Blood, Gun violence, Confinement, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness, Excrement, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Grief, and Animal cruelty
ohkaereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Racial slurs, and Cursing
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, and Terminal illness
xlipkins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Confinement, and Torture
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Trafficking, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Rape
saraavowlerr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
wends_nblw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I couldn't stand Darby at first, but I found myself warming up to her towards the halfway point before fully loving her character by the end. With the rest of the cast, I couldn't decide if I hated or loved them. There aren't many side characters : aside from Darby, we have five other distinctive characters.
As for the culprit
Spoiler
(in this case : one of the culprits, Ashley)So many twists and turns, I wouldn't say this book had me on the edge of my seat, but it certainly had me sitting up straight. Every time I thought this book was going to end, that Darby and this little girl, Jay, were going to escape, 'No Exit' would toss that hope aside and shoot me with a nail gun. I would groan and in the words of our villain, say "oh, come on."
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Torture, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, and Vomit
This book uses the n + r slurs both once.claire_reardon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Death, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
chrstnlvly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Cancer, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Vomit
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
We find out who the perpetrator(s) is/are pretty quickly which to me wasn't a surprise. The person revealed themsleves earlier but the main character just didn't pick up on the dialogue.
Spoiler
The part about Lars and Ashley being brother's was unexpected. I'll grant the author that, but having Sandi involved felt ridiculous. She didn't really contribute much to the story. Also I wasn't too surprised that she was involved cuz she was a little too calm for me to believe something wasn' t up.Also, the author has a tendecy to utilize plot points only when they're convenient for the story to either move the plot along or to enhance the stakes rather than having the plot points make sense.
For example, we're told they're in a blizzard, but when the characters would go outside there's rarely any mention of them being affected the gushing winds pulling them back or suffering from frost bite or them shivering at all.
Another example is how the abducted child, Jay, was portrayed. She has Addison's disease and is told that extreme stressful situations can indirectly lead to her death. But this element is only utilize when the author wants to raise the stakes because when Darby ultimately finds her way to Jay she is unbelievably calm. And she remains calm in most of the situations the main character encounters. Not once did she shed tears or cry hysterically. I thought this was deliberate and that the author was gonna reveal some big twist that the girl was in on it too or something, but no, it's just poor writing.
Also, I found the use of racial slurs in this book to be so unnecessary. As well as the potential incest/molestation and animal cruelty. Like we get the main perpetrator is a reprehensible psychotic human being, but I think we established that the moment it's revealed that they sex traffick young girls and don't care. All that other stuff wasn't just unnecessary icing an already drenched cake.
Spoiler
Also we find that Lars suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome which to me, was very unnecessary and I think was only used to establish that he was a "mindless" follower and a victim to his brother's conditioning. But I don't think it was necessary to add things like fetal alcohol syndrome and pancreatic cancer when they literally contributed little to nothing towards the plot.Also, the ending felt kinda ambiguous to me, but maybe I just looked too much into it. I'm glad I read it so I can assuage my curiosity so I know to never pick it up again. Don't think I'll ever read anything this author writes. It just wasn't for me.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Animal cruelty, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Vomit
uchihas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Alcoholism
Minor: Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Animal death, Torture, Trafficking, Car accident, and Racism
ellisofia's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Body horror, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Police brutality