book_vorfreude's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 ⭐️
TW/CW: child abuse, dead children, kidnapping, mental illness, trauma, violene
This was a weird one but honestly such an interesting book- this was not an easy book because of the themes portrayed and the abuse suffered by the characters. I wont say much because anything said will for sure be a spoiler this is just one of those weird books I know won't be for a lot of people but I decided to give horror another chance and I am not mad about it. It was definitely a very interesting book and insight into these realities.
The afterword is definitely a must-read for better understanding of the book and the reasons behind it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3757464639?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
TW/CW: child abuse, dead children, kidnapping, mental illness, trauma, violene
This was a weird one but honestly such an interesting book
Spoiler
and look into DIDThe afterword is definitely a must-read for better understanding of the book and the reasons behind it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3757464639?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
miss_riley_mae's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
binka777's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.5
caitsidhe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
anammox's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
januaryapril's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow, me and this book have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions. To start I have been curious as to what this book was about as everyone who reads it is like well I can't explain or it will spoil it. So I finally decided to put my big girl pants on and read the "scary" book (I have been realizing that books people say are scary are not as scary as I work them up to be in my head).
IDK ill keep thinking about this one, and honestly maybe I am thinking to hard.
Spoiler
So as I began to read this I realized we were most likely going down the DID route. I do not like or appreciate when DID is used as a horror/"scary" element in books so I was not excited. Then this book does all its twist and turns that make you think Lauren has DID and is trapped and then twist to realize that Ted has DID and really his mother was the terrible person I felt better about the use of DID but still a little wary. Overall it was a very intriguing book and I think Ward wrote it very well really giving you the feeling of being trapped and stuck. However, even though Ward talks in the end about how she learned about DID and wanted to show how it wasn't a horror element but one about overcoming I am still thinking and considering how I feel about it because at the end of the day people are still calling this a "horror" novel and we are all still not wanting to spoil the aspect of DID in the book so it is still somewhat a plot point meant to mess with you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
Spoiler
Dissociative Identity Disordersiobhanward's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
So for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to hide all of this under a spoiler tag.
So when it was revealed that Ted had DID and most of the characters were alters, I was kind of disappointed that Ward would just kind of brush the whole book off with that and feed into stereotypes. However, as I read more of the book, and particularly, the afterword, it became clear that Ward had done her research - I've never seen a book like this where sources were cited as part of research on a mental illness. That t0ok me by surprise. I'm no expert on DID by any stretch, but everything I do know was covered in Ward's research.
Obviously, since I'm not an expert, I defer to those who are living with DID - this rating will change if I learn more information related to this book being harmful to those living with DID, by perpetuating stereotypes or sharing misinformation, etc. However, based on the amount of research that Ward did, it seems like we're off to an ok start, especially considering how little information there is about DID (including whether it is a separate diagnosis or a combination of comorbidities of other diagnoses).
Spoiler
Overall, the plot was decent. Not my favourite by any stretch and I found it boring at times, but it was fine. However, as I read more of the book and encountered one of my absolute least favourite tropes, I was let down. Using mental illness (especially those that are less well-known and often considered scary, like BPD or schizophrenia) to villainize a character without having to explain too much is a long-standing trope and I hate it. There are way too many authors who can't write a good background for an antagonist (or sometimes a bad/unreliable protagonist) and just use a mental illness as a coverall reason.So when it was revealed that Ted had DID and most of the characters were alters, I was kind of disappointed that Ward would just kind of brush the whole book off with that and feed into stereotypes. However, as I read more of the book, and particularly, the afterword, it became clear that Ward had done her research - I've never seen a book like this where sources were cited as part of research on a mental illness. That t0ok me by surprise. I'm no expert on DID by any stretch, but everything I do know was covered in Ward's research.
Obviously, since I'm not an expert, I defer to those who are living with DID - this rating will change if I learn more information related to this book being harmful to those living with DID, by perpetuating stereotypes or sharing misinformation, etc. However, based on the amount of research that Ward did, it seems like we're off to an ok start, especially considering how little information there is about DID (including whether it is a separate diagnosis or a combination of comorbidities of other diagnoses).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
camshep97's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hannahfred's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.75