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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
"When people prayed to God, I wondered, were they praying to Him or were they praying to me? I couldn't quite see a difference in that moment."
Loved this so much. Brutal, horrifying, and so sad.
Loved this so much. Brutal, horrifying, and so sad.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Biiiig trigger warning for this one. Almost every page of this is brutal. However, the violence in this story never came across as heavy handed or unnecessary. I feel like it’s because a woman wrote it? It was all realistic and showed a unique perspective. It puts the reader right in Suzy’s mind, creating sympathy for a character that could easily be demonized. It brings a lot of moral questions to mind. While I wish it was longer, I think every word of this novella packed a punch. There were so many memorable passages. The commentary on cycles of abuse was powerful, with no clear negative or positive conclusion drawn. I couldn’t put this book down and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. Highly disturbing and thought provoking.
Haunting. I don’t know that any book can really be scary, but this one definitely can make one fearful of the things we’re capable of doing to one another, the damage those things can do, and how that damage manifests. We are capable of unspeakable cruelty and violence, and the repercussions of those are laid bare with stark and troubling intensity. Kolesnick is capable of packing so much into so few words, and with a raw perspective that forces the reader to empathize with her damaged characters as much as they’re revolted by their actions.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
“Over dinner, they relished the details of every last criminal act. They said it repulsed them, but it never stopped them from eating dessert.”
3.5 …. maybeeeee ??
This was so deeply disturbing. The beginning seemed like grotesque for grotesque sake, with no substance. But, once we got to the second half, the story started to get a little deeper. The writing was so so good! The content was just soooo gruesome.
3.5 …. maybeeeee ??
This was so deeply disturbing. The beginning seemed like grotesque for grotesque sake, with no substance. But, once we got to the second half, the story started to get a little deeper. The writing was so so good! The content was just soooo gruesome.
I don't understand the 5 stars for this book. Very weird.
When friend and fellow reviewer Shane Keene messaged me on Twitter alerting me of the availability of review copies for [a:Samantha Kolesnik|19735299|Samantha Kolesnik|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573831025p2/19735299.jpg]'s True Crime, I took notice because when Shane tells me to read something, I do. Every reader I know has ‘that person’ whose recommendations are always rock solid, and Shane is my ‘that person’. If I wasn’t already sold, [a:Brian Keene|52050|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1405266978p2/52050.jpg]’s front-cover quote definitely would have sealed the deal:
A debut with the power of a nuclear bomb. Ranks alongside [a:Jack Ketchum|90070|Jack Ketchum|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1398128441p2/90070.jpg]’s [b:The Girl Next Door|179735|The Girl Next Door|Jack Ketchum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1298460378l/179735._SY75_.jpg|1109091] and [a:J.F. Gonzalez|6606656|J.F. Gonzalez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369349729p2/6606656.jpg]’s [b:Survivor|1215920|Survivor|J.F. Gonzalez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348383947l/1215920._SY75_.jpg|1204376].
You know how there’s always a thread or discussion to be found of the book that destroyed you? Well those two books Keene mentioned are always my go-to selections for such a topic. So it’s a bold statement…that lives up to its promise. Damn.
You can read my full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
A debut with the power of a nuclear bomb. Ranks alongside [a:Jack Ketchum|90070|Jack Ketchum|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1398128441p2/90070.jpg]’s [b:The Girl Next Door|179735|The Girl Next Door|Jack Ketchum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1298460378l/179735._SY75_.jpg|1109091] and [a:J.F. Gonzalez|6606656|J.F. Gonzalez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369349729p2/6606656.jpg]’s [b:Survivor|1215920|Survivor|J.F. Gonzalez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348383947l/1215920._SY75_.jpg|1204376].
You know how there’s always a thread or discussion to be found of the book that destroyed you? Well those two books Keene mentioned are always my go-to selections for such a topic. So it’s a bold statement…that lives up to its promise. Damn.
You can read my full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
It was ok but I felt like there could be so much more to this story. It needed more develped characters and definatly more background. I just seemed really rushed.
