Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Groomer by Jon Athan

13 reviews

alicia_meyer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Deeply disgusting and disturbing. Won’t read this author again, but the story was important and even though it haunts me, I’m glad I read it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Trafficking

nyallis0n's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

jessie84567's review against another edition

dark sad 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? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder

_soulfullyrich's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Read at your own risk! The first few chapters are the hardest. If you can make it through, the rest of the story is tolerable. There's A LOT of gore and torture. The author's letter at the end helps.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

cjmyers90's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Extremely difficult to consume. But I feel like that’s the point. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from this book.

 These things happen. We hear the stories of kids going missing.. We see the articles.. But having it written out in graphic detail adds a different level of awareness.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

chefinheels's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I read The Groomer, Into the Wolves Den, and The Abuse of Ashley Collins over the last two days. I've seen quite a few posts about Jon Athan in varying thriller groups, and wanted to give any help I could to those still on the fence.

Are these books gory, and graphic? Yes. If you have a TW, just don't read them. Whatever your particular trigger, it's probably in here somewhere. I can give details if you need them, as some people's triggers are über specific, but otherwise, just assume it's rough.

Do you know what else they are? Crushingly, unapologetically, brutally emotional. An intense study of the naïveté of a child. The unending will to survive of a child. The unfathomable love of a parent. The abyss that is the hatred of a parent.

If you can handle splatterpunk, and if you can handle the severe reality of child abuse, in multiple forms, these books are ones that will stick with you.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

thebigbagtheorybooks's review against another edition

Absolutely disgusting 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

hick's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Excrement, Vomit, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Transphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

dee_elizabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

stephanieluxton's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

This book makes every other piece of horror media (books and movies) I've seen look like blue's clues. Like holy shit it's graphic. The content warning was serious. Things get real bad in chapter 3 and go on for awhile. The beginning is like the movie Hostel but involving torturing kidnapped kids. I expected this book to be like the movie Taken, but the second half is more like I Spit On Your Grave. I hated basically every second of it.