Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

17 reviews

kkalicky94's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

emelli05's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

catiecoop's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

Kept losing me starting at the halfway mark. Felt like it was rambling. 2 stars because it was very detailed and descriptive.

So. Much. Gore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Murder

rikathestrange's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Pregnancy

thegreatandwonderfulbookwitch's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A New York editor rents a cabin in the woods in Maine and waits for friends to arrive. A wild family living nearby decide to bring a night of terror down on their heads. None will walk away without scars.

I mostly went into this blind. I found the writing to be really solid and engaging. The description of horror was just detailed enough to be disturbing without drawing out scenes too long. The imagery was gory and terrible to read. The pacing was nice, nothing was needlessly added or fluffed up. 

I wouldn't recommend this for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy horror movies and books, then you'll like this one. You'll never see a fire the same way again! I was left pretty shell shocked by the end of it all.

I received this book from Amazon first reads for free. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

gatsbyonabudget's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

ericabailey004's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

wisteria96's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I should have learned long ago that Jack Ketchum just isn't my cup of tea. 

Everything about this fell a bit flat for me. No character depth, weak plot line, no back story to our villains. Just some horny folks in a cabin in the woods, and a disgruntled police officer who should have retired ages ago. 

Wad it gory? Yes. Was it beyond brutal? Also yes. However it felt that the attempts at shocking the reader with violence far outweighed any attempt at building a storyline worth following. More attention was put into the spice level than the actual plot line and that just isn't my thing. 

If you're into brutal gore stories with nonplots, this is for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

wholesome_chaotic's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• 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

From the perspective of a horror fan this book has it all. Lean and mean. Gore soaked. Unforgiving. As a horror book it's 5 stars for being so visceral and unrelenting with it's brutality. 

However it also contains every single trigger warning a person could imagine. Very taboo subjects are presented and Ketchum lacks the deft hands to present them as anything more than shock for the sake of it. (I 'm only referring to this book with that previous statement.) It's also grossly sexist and even as a male I found myself rolling my eyes at how the women are portrayed. It doesn't help that the characters are thinner than paper. This why it only has a 3 star rating. 

There's no subtlety in this book. For better and for worse. 

Only recommend for hardcore horror fanatics with stomachs of steel and some questionable morals.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury