Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Abuse of Ashley Collins by Jon Athan

4 reviews

shiv91's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

As expected, a very messed up book which shows how generations can continue doing something, even though it's wrong, just because "the same happened to me so it makes sense to continue this depravity" schtick. 

My own gripes with this are pretty much things that have been mentioned in other reviews of this book.

Understandably, with a short book you can only give so much background information but this really went from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. 

Then physically/medically there was a moment with the father and Ashlee where he forces her to eat some condoms and she doesn't choke (she did choke but seemingly only on the first one then managed fine?) and she also doesn't end up with some sort or obstruction or severe infection from the foreign bodies on her system.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Death, Torture, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Confinement

hisdarkmaterials's review

dark sad fast-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Child death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Incest, Pedophilia, Death, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

alexis_gloria20's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Wow. So very F*%$ING dark! Great quick read. I really wish there was another book or short story to tell us what happens next though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Rape, and Torture

bybookandbone's review

dark fast-paced

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

1.5

ooof this is not good imo.

It's not that I don't find the circumstances or actions within the book unbelievable, I don't find that the characters themselves are believable. They just perform very violent depraved acts out of almost no where. Ashley is difficult due to

sexual abuse by her uncle (not in the story), that is disbelieved by her mom

. This isn't dived into... it's just an explanation for her teenage difficulties. 

Why is Calvin's b-plot in this? Not only is it not really resolved but it also isn't believable in that short a time span. I thought there would be a sort of 'damage done to the non-abused child', which sort of happens but just isn't written well. 

The ending is also very poorly thought out. People don't just do those things, even when they've been abused. 
Honestly, this is just torture porn. 
Very violent stories can be done well but the violence isn't meant to be the story. It should just part of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Gore, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content and Incest

Minor: Misogyny