uhhlexiconic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Confinement, Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Addiction, Rape, Sexual assault, and Stalking
Moderate: Child death and Suicide
support_lesbian's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
I will say that the content described in this guess is very upsetting but I guess its as graphic as it needed to be based on the subject matter for the book but I really can't say for sure right now. I am quite satisfied with the conclusion this book went in as a mystery thriller novel because it like, actually commits to what makes sense and didn't back out of the story it was telling, upsetting narrative aside.
Beginning and ending chapters could have been stronger and there was definitely moments where the writing of the book made me raise my eyebrow in a skeptical way because of how unnecessary it was to me and like with all of these books it uses the scapegoat mental illness diagnosis to explain away character motivations when really they're just horrible scumbags that always leaves a bad taste.
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Violence
kearac's review against another edition
2.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Grief
baileymorrison's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Graphic: Stalking, Torture, Physical abuse, Addiction, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/injury detail, Child death, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Gore, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Blood
brehexual's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Torture, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Fatphobia, Death, Stalking, Suicide, Trafficking, Gore, Body shaming, Confinement, Child death, Body horror, and Blood
g1oielli's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Gore, Sexual content, Child death, Excrement, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death of parent, Rape, Trafficking, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Torture, Sexual assault, and Vomit
abiartkh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Child death, Addiction, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gore, Infidelity, Body horror, Body shaming, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Mental illness
louvis_12's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gore, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Body horror, Death of parent, Murder, Addiction, Torture, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Trafficking
secre'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
1.75
In the present you have Claire and Lydia, two sisters living very different lives. In the past you have their sister, abducted and never found more than two decades previous. But when Claire's husband is murdered seemingly randomly, Claire makes discoveries that show her husband in a very different light. Her discovery of a series of torture porn videos bare a shocking similarity to a recent missing girl, but bring back memories of her own sisters disappearance all that time ago. The two sisters re-connect after the funeral, although the fact that Lydia is in the process of gleefully urinating on the fresh grave makes for a slightly awkward reunion. The relationship between them is strained, but their connection isn't something that can be easily dismissed.
I have to admit, I felt the first half of the novel was significantly better than the second half. It opens with a murder and then it's a slow build up of information and evidence. It builds up well and I was fascinated by the narrative and whilst the characters weren't always likeable, they were at least very believable. But around the 50% mark it... loses it's way. It becomes ridiculously unrealistic, the torture porn is ramped up to 120 for no real reason or benefit and I found myself just rolling my eyes. It just became laughable. To begin with the villains of the piece seem all too possibly real. By the end, they are cartoonishly caricatured.
All in all, this was a disappointment. I was expecting a certain level of blood and gore, so my low rating isn't due to that. It is however due in part to how pointless said blood, gore and torture porn was; it added little to noting to the narrative. It's also due to how unbelievably stupid the plot gets in the latter half, how convoluted yet predictable and how cartoonish the villains become. Not Slaughter's best work by a mile.
Graphic: Murder, Death, Child abuse, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child death
riella_reads'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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Addiction, Child death, Suicide, Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Pedophilia, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Torture, and Vomit