Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

My Murder by Katie Williams

27 reviews

knikchevich's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Blood, Violence, Death, and Stalking

Moderate: Abandonment

jennnw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment

vagaybond's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Grief, and Mental illness

(Major spoilers, entire suspense level spoilers.)

The protagonist turns out to have not really died, and meets the alternate version of herself. This might be a bit too much unreality for some. The other version of herself who she found had ran away to abandon her family on an impulse because of postpartum depression. There are also significant parts of the story where it is suspected that the protagonist's husband had murdered her. There are graphic descriptions of the different possibilities that the protagonist envisions.

There is also a scene with a break-in, and a probably traumatized teenager as the witness who is

coached into lying about what happened

. Postpartum depression, early motherhood (and guilt relating to not being a good enough mother), some weird corporate PR exploitation, murder and descriptions of that, among other things, are all major themes in the story.

jsant's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

A unique whodunit with a cloning/resurrection twist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

cyberhavok's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Pregnancy

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder

serendipitysbooks's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

 My Murder is set in a world very similar to our own bar a few technological differences, including the ability to bring people back from the dead. Lou was a young mother when she became the 5th victim of a serial killer. She has been brought back from the dead and is now reintegrating back into her life, including attending support meetings with the killer’s other victims who have also been replicated. Lou can’t remember her attack and, wanting to learn more, arranges to visit the killer in prison. She is stunned when he denies having killed her but readily admits his role in the other murders. Other people tell her they’ve always suspected that he wasn’t her killer. Of course Lou can’t rest until she finds out exactly what happened to her.

If you are looking for world building and are keen to learn about the technology behind replication this is not the book for you. What it is is a whodunnit with a twist unlike anything I’ve seen in either genre (speculative fiction and mystery/thriller) before. I particularly liked its exploration of new motherhood, the struggles that entails and the toll it can take on a woman and her sense of identity. I also thought the book had some smart things to say about the privilege of wealth, corruption, society’s obsession with true crime and the pros and cons of social media, gaming and online communities. I was intrigued by Lou’s job - therapeutic holding - and what it says about the impact of technology and virtual reality on basic human needs. A quick and enjoyable read but not one that will have a lasting impact on me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

What if the murder you had to solve was your own? After falling victim to a local serial killer, Lou is cloned by a government commission. She attempts to return to her old life; you know, the one before she died. In the words of Harry Styles, you know it's not the same as it was... Is her daughter really her daughter if she didn't birth her herself? Is she still the same person to her loving, devoted husband? She is a clone, after all. This book combines so many different genres. If I were to rate this book solely based on how much I enjoyed the writing, plot, and overall "twist," I think I am sitting at a 3.5. Nothing much at all happened until about the halfway mark. However, I had to give the author a bit more credit for her originality. My thoughts summed up in one word: WEIRD! If you are expecting your typical murder mystery novel, you may not enjoy it. Open your mind!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Murder, and Abandonment

lindsayerin's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy

ninajean's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

2.0

I thought the premise of the story was really interesting. The story follows Lou as she is dealing with being murdered by a local serial killer and is brought back to life through a government project. I think I would’ve liked the book better if it was promoted differently since it’s not actually a mystery/thriller. The main topics were exploration of identity, the challenges and relationship dynamics of motherhood, and slight discussion of fascination with serial killers. I struggled staying engaged with the writing and execution of the plot. I also didn’t like the ending and was a bit confused by it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy