Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Our Kind of Cruelty

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

4 reviews

lemurdance's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Mike Hayes is lucky enough to have met the love of his life in college. Unfortunately, the horrors of his childhood, first with an abusive mother and then the subsequent years in foster care, have permanently altered his perception of healthy love and relationships. When he meets Verity, he knows it is forever. Their relationship is rife with mindgames, secret signals, and intensity that Mike clings to even after their breakup and all the way through the tragedy that rips through their new lives.

What begins as the sweet stories of a man deeply in love with his partner gradually reveals itself to be a first-person narrative of an escalating stalker. Mike's earnestness is almost ingratiating to the reader, as he insists everything that's happened since they broke up, including V's marriage, is part of an elaborate puzzle she has set up for him. Were we reading this from V's perspective, everything in me would scream RED FLAGS to her; instead we are stuck waiting to see what Mike's delusions will lead to next.

This tale evoked feelings of sympathy, pity, disgust, hopefulness, and horror. It is truly a rollercoaster from beginning to end and is a prime example of a psychological thriller in all the best ways.

I almost didn't want to love this book because of how emotionally difficult it was at times, but it is so exquisitely dark and twisty that I have nothing but praise for Araminta Hall and can't wait to read more from her.

Content Warnings

isyrein's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It was hard to get through this book. Women don’t usually wants to read about a man encroaching on a woman’s space and fanatically assuming everything about her. The more I read on and pushed passed it I understood that this book doesn’t have light and dark characters. They’re both flawed characters with real issues which made it harder to read about. I had to fight with myself at times. It was easy to sympathize with Mike even if I found his behavior to be obsessive and horrifying. It was difficult to read about Verity knowing what she’s gone through but having it being misconstrued by Mike and the jury hearing the case. I know some people didn’t care for part three of the book, but I feel like it gave incredible insight on how delusional Mike really was.
I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this book, but I feel it’s fitting to rate it a 3.75. It was a good read, but I’m not searching to pick it up anytime soon.

Content Warnings

shoshin's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-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? Yes

2.5

The premise was intriguing. The treatment of the stalking victim after the climactic scene was sadly realistic. It was an interesting look into the imagined psychology of a stalker, but it somehow didn't quite ring true to me.

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pinkberryoasis's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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

3.5

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