Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

214 reviews

spookymartinireads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

savreads28's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Confinement, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Death, Sexual violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Mental illness, Rape, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Sexual content and Cancer

arabellaruby's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Ansel yapped too much.

I felt the writing encouraged sympathy for him. His theory was over-discussed without any real substance. It would have been nice to have perspective from Shawna.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Animal death, and Grief

Minor: Pedophilia

juliesleseecke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Blood, Sexual content, Misogyny, Gore, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, Animal death, Body horror, Murder, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

sponberry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Animal death

acfreads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Animal death

bps's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Child abuse

saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

“Motherhood was, by nature, a thing you did alone.”

A gripping story that dives into the psyche of a killer and the women he impacted. It tackles questions around topics such as law enforcement and the death penalty with complexity. It’s a tragedy that constantly has the reader questioning the inevitability of it all and how should justice actually work.

The character work is the standout. Everyone has such strong motives and richness to them so that the themes aren’t abstract, they’re palpable problems the cast grapples with. A mother who had to destroy her family to save herself, a sister who knows something is wrong, and a police officer trying to create justice in an inherently broken, unjust system.

The choice to tell the killer’s chapters from second person was fascinating. By putting the reader in his shoes, it emphasizes the fact that humans are the ones who commit atrocities, not monsters. This does an exceptional job of making him complex and real while not downplaying any of his horrendous actions. It also makes the questions around justice that much more relevant.

Both empathetic and terrifying, Notes on an Execution surely had me making odd faces as I listened to the ending in public. No one aware that I was listening to something so mind bending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Grief, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexism, Police brutality, Hate crime, and Racism

katiecentabar's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

I read this book in basically one sitting and now that I’ve finished I’m  sitting here trying to hang on to it for a little longer. I wouldn’t call this a book about true crime because that feels too pulpy. This is a raw and compassionate story about the ordinary violence in our world,  the people it leaves in its wake, and whose pain we choose to care about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Animal cruelty