Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

21 reviews

briana_elaine's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Still processing this read, but the twists and turns really got me emotional. I’m reminded how heartless and cunning someone can be. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Slavery, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

hellokatya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.0

* 3.8☆
i read this book as a palette cleanser, and it did me so right.
i ate this book right up. it’s fast paced, sucks you right in, and doesn’t let you go until it’s done with you. 
you think you know what’s happening or where it’s going, but you dont. very intricate and thought out, but still plausible. 
highly recommend. 

i do wish that she’d done something more with the damon plotline, but i suppose it was more of a misdirect / red herring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Body horror, Death of parent, and Classism

sstewart89's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

daniofthewood's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Slavery

killmoore_'s review against another edition

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? Yes

4.75

I couldn't have loved this more. Heart dropping suspense, holler-out-loud plot twists and a touch of pure insanity. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

katiedoesntftba's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I haven't read a book like this in a LONG time where I thought I knew where it was going and I was completely wrong. I got whiplash multiple times and loved it! I wish I could wipe my memory and read it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Car accident

a_libraryghost's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I absolutely loved this! One of the books strongest aspects is the two leading characters. I don’t think I’ve connected quite as much as with characters in a thriller for a while like I did with Lee and Hazel. For the most part I didn’t really guess any of the twists and honestly had no idea how it was going to end. Honestly for a long time I thought this was going to be a 5 star rating for me. 

There were some plot threads though that did feel unnecessary and like they didn’t go anywhere. I also wasn’t in love with the ending. It felt unfinished. I was surprised when I saw how little was left on the second last chapter. 

Overall still a great book though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

kelpish's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

I'm not sure if I read the same book as everyone else...

I guessed nearly every "twist" in The Drowning Woman's first half. As the reader, some things seemed so obvious to me that I was shocked the characters weren't picking up on (especially since it is written in first-person perspective). However, all of the things I anticipated happened around the middle of the book, so I was looking forward to what unfolded in the rest of the book.

The second half felt disjointed from the first half and it dragged at a glacial pace. Whenever it seemed like something exciting would happen, it never panned out. Meandering through events that could have turned into something exciting felt monotonous. I wanted to see the book through to the end, but it was a bit of a slog.

The perspective shift to be solely from Hazel's perspective (minus the epilogue) was odd. I am guessing the author wanted readers to see the plot's consequences from the book's first half, but I was expecting it to be more exciting than a largely inconsequential legal drama and some minor Gone Girl-esque antics. I was waiting for Carter's death to be pinned on Hazel now or for Lee to rejoin the plot to help Hazel get out from under her abusive husband's schemes one last time. It would have mirrored the plot from the first half and would have been more likely to be more thrilling than the actual snoozefest it was.

All in all, it was a book that could have been pretty good but frequently stumbled and shambled along.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Death of parent

disguisedposer's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent

michelle_my_belle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

 This was a solid thriller. It was fast-paced, suspenseful, and full of twists and secrets. I did feel like the last chunk of the book took an odd turn and resolved kind of abruptly. I also didn't really connect with any of the characters. Overall, an entertaining read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Forced institutionalization, and Dementia