Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

81 reviews

helenoftroy08's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racial slurs, Rape, Murder, Slavery, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Violence, Medical trauma, Racism, Torture, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

eclipse799's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cancer, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, War, and Hate crime

danahh's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Death, Racism, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Blood, and Torture

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, Rape, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Police brutality

30something_reads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 

UM WHAT?? This was incredible.

I did not know what to expect out of this since Historical Fiction is not typically a genre I gravitate towards but, damn. What a masterful blend of history and paranormal. A chilling tale that, although fictional, brings to light the real horrors of the Jim Crow era in the South.

I can't stop thinking about this one line-

And of course Haddock had never hit Colonel. Haddock couldn't train his bloodhound the way he trained the boys.

This audiobook was phenomenal. I would absolutely recommend that listening experience and I will be looking up other works narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. <--- JK. I just realized that she narrated Legendborn (among many others- I will just be bumping some of these up the TBR.)
 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Torture, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Slavery

Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

zyxtasaurus's review

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Torture, Racism, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Racial slurs, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Gore, Bullying, Abandonment, Cancer, Slavery, and Cursing

Minor: Gaslighting, Grief, Animal death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Vomit

booktellswitht's review

dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Torture, and Violence

melchncookies's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

This book is devastating and hopeful. It’s so well written. The narrator was amazing. 

Yes, this novel explores the horrors of the schools for boys, especially in the Deep South, but it also explores the lengths that Black families had to go to remain intact. While fiction, the author notes that Robbie is based on a relative that died at a boy’s school and other aspects of this book were based on truth. 

I couldn’t put this down. I’ll be thinking about it for years I think. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Grief, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Hate crime, Death, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Cancer, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape and Animal cruelty

rorikae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

Tananarive Due continues to be one of the best horror writers and that continues in her standout novel, 'The Reformatory.' 
When he kicks the son of a prominent landowner while defending his sister, Robert Stevens Jr. is sentenced to six months at the local reformatory school for boys. When he arrives at the school, he finds it is a place of terror where the head of the school rules over the boys with fear and intimidation. Robbie finds two friends, Redbone and Blue, who help him better understand the school and the truth of his situation. While his sister Gloria tries to get him freed from the school, Robbie searches for a way to escape while dealing with the terrors that haunt the grounds. 
Due does an exceptional job of creating slowly creeping horror that is centered on the characters and their personal situations. She instantly makes you care for Robbie and his family and then puts him in a harrowing situation that slowly ramps up and grows more distressing. Based loosely on a relative who attended a reformatory school, Due mixes the real history of the horrors committed at these institutions with Robbie’s fictionalized story. What results is a deeply moving story that demonstrates the cruelty and racism that permeated these types of institutions. Due also does a great job of only hinting at some of the worst things that happen at the institution while still bringing the hairs up on the back of your neck. A horrifying story with a deeply heartfelt core, please read the Reformatory. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Racial slurs, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Murder, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

readingonfordearlife's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Torture, and Racism

star_maps's review against another edition

I made it to chapter 10 and just couldn’t go on. I’m definitely a mood reader and I just don’t think I’m in the best headspace to read this book. Hopefully I can come back to it one day.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Death, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Torture