Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

8 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I found a copy of this book at a library book sale.
"The Lioness" follows a group of friends on a safari trip in 1964 in Tanzania. Katie Barstow and David Hill have invited their close friends to accompany them on their honeymoon. Everything seems to be going perfectly, until they are attacked and taken hostage by strangers. Now the group has to fight for their lives and figure out who is holding them for ransom, and why.
I was initially intrigued by this book because I wanted to explore a historical fiction that took place in Africa. Although this novel is that I did not think we really got a robust view of 1964 Africa. This novel was much more focused on the Americans that were kidnapped and what implications that would have on them. Additionally, this was a group of celebrities, which is why there was such immediate action from people to save them. I think this book did what it set out to do, it was just not exactly what I wanted.
This novel was violent and highly descriptive in its violence. If you are someone who finds it difficult to read about torture and blood in detail, this novel is not for you.
There is a slight mystery because the group does not know why they are being targeted. The reveal of what is actually going on was interesting and I did not see it coming. I also did not suspect the connections that were ultimately made.
Overall, this book was very okay; I appreciated it for what it did, but I was not blown away by it either. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse and War

dev921's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

dexkit10's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Car accident, Colonisation, and War

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

singlespeedahead's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Torture

jcoode's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

kimveach's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I love listening to this book.   The narration was outstanding.   The plot was compelling.  Each character was well-developed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

morg4nd's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail