Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

108 reviews

chrisljm's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

I've never really found myself enjoying twists in thriller novels because they often feel like the author trying to pull a fast one on me, but I think it's done well in this book and I was positively stunned I must say. I thought I was able to see what was coming but I truly didn't. This was a very unique story, so creative, and honestly more than being a thriller, it was very sad. 

I can tell the author truly did her research on DID and I really appreciate that. I enjoyed reading the ending author's note where she detailed her research process, as well as the people and resources she utilized. I also love seeing her inclusion of a bibliography with all her sources.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

elizabeth_ilean's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

mel_j's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I guessed the first two plot twists very quickly, but even after that, the book kept surprising me. Brilliantly written, very twisty, with deeply human characters. It had a creepy atmosphere, but ended up heartbreaking. 
What a great book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, and Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Homophobia, and Alcohol

heartofhorrors's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

courtneyburke's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol

jesssicawho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

lilias's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I absolutely hated the first 50 or so pages of this book, and I almost quit reading it, which I almost never do. But somewhere around that 50th page, I started to want to know what was going to happen and how it would unfold. Then, maybe 50 pages after that, I realized I did not want to stop reading and that I would finish this book before the day was over. 

The first 50 or so pages of this book just seemed full of misplaced whimsy and weirdness. I don’t like it when something, a book or a film, goes out of its way to be weird just for the sake of being weird. But nothing grabs my attention like a mystery. And when little reveals started to peel away the silly veneer that was, when it came down to it, author Catronia Ward speaking in (infuriating) riddles, I was hooked. I wish I had been so invested in the entire book, but, still, this was a really good reading experience for me, overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

catriona176's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia and Grief

kimberlyswalters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I was reluctant to start this book. It was a gift - not something I'd choose for myself. This book completely surprised me and has left me wanting more.

I would love to read more about Ted's life with Rob and how their friendship/relationship grows, how they deal with Ted's alters, etc. I don't like "fluff", but I would make an acception for that. And I could read more about Night Olivia and their little show, and their opinions on naps.

I recommend this book if you're even slightly interested in reading it. It's rare that a story has me hooked from so early on, so this one is special. I'll certainly never forget it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm and Murder

zzvrrismm's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death