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ireadinbed's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I normally strongly dislike when a thriller leans heavily on diagnosis like antisocial personality disorder, but because the psychopaths in this book were largely the protagonists it felt fresh and less biased.
It made me realize how vulnerable a person could be if they lacked much sense of danger and ability to interpret emotion in a situation with a lot of bad actors.
It also made it really hard to predict twists! I enjoyed myself. Darkly funny.
But a lot of it did still feel like a made up version of psychology.
It made me realize how vulnerable a person could be if they lacked much sense of danger and ability to interpret emotion in a situation with a lot of bad actors.
It also made it really hard to predict twists! I enjoyed myself. Darkly funny.
But a lot of it did still feel like a made up version of psychology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Ableism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Minor: Racism
runaway_milkyway's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Stalking, Sexual content, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Blood and Drug use
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Vomit
booksthatburn'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't have any basis of expertise to evaluate whether the depictions of psychopathy are accurate or inaccurate. I enjoyed the book and the information fits some things I already knew, as well as explaining a bunch of new stuff, but it's not trying to be a psychopathy explainer except in as much is necessary to understand the characters.
The narrative style is a bit unusual. There are several main characters whose perspectives are shown as point-of-view characters. But only Chloe narrates in first-person, the others use third person. This creates detachment and uncertainty, which works especially well when Chloe suspects most of them of being the murderer at one time or another. I like Chloe, Charles, and Andre, they're a solid trio in the narrative, even as their individual relationships with each other are very different throughout the text. They make sense as people, which is important in a story which revolves around a bunch of characters having the same mental health diagnosis. Chloe has her own way of being a psychopath which is distinct from the others, with these traits often helping but just as frequently getting in the way of her goals. I like her as a character, and Charles has his own charm, but Andre is my favorite of the main three.
By focusing on characters who are diagnosed with psychopathy, the narrative takes advantage of an opportunity for a wonderful mix of showing and telling. Chloe knows that certain of her traits are because of her psychopathy, but that doesn't make her better at controlling her impulsiveness (at least not this early in the program).
This is a solid mystery, very thrilling. The twists and turns make sense without being immediately guessable. Part of what helps is there are lots of bad actors in addition to the actual murderer, so it becomes a matter of figuring out who is doing a bunch of bad things, whether they're doing one or several of them, and whether any of them are enough for that person to make sense as the killer.
The narrative style is a bit unusual. There are several main characters whose perspectives are shown as point-of-view characters. But only Chloe narrates in first-person, the others use third person. This creates detachment and uncertainty, which works especially well when Chloe suspects most of them of being the murderer at one time or another. I like Chloe, Charles, and Andre, they're a solid trio in the narrative, even as their individual relationships with each other are very different throughout the text. They make sense as people, which is important in a story which revolves around a bunch of characters having the same mental health diagnosis. Chloe has her own way of being a psychopath which is distinct from the others, with these traits often helping but just as frequently getting in the way of her goals. I like her as a character, and Charles has his own charm, but Andre is my favorite of the main three.
By focusing on characters who are diagnosed with psychopathy, the narrative takes advantage of an opportunity for a wonderful mix of showing and telling. Chloe knows that certain of her traits are because of her psychopathy, but that doesn't make her better at controlling her impulsiveness (at least not this early in the program).
This is a solid mystery, very thrilling. The twists and turns make sense without being immediately guessable. Part of what helps is there are lots of bad actors in addition to the actual murderer, so it becomes a matter of figuring out who is doing a bunch of bad things, whether they're doing one or several of them, and whether any of them are enough for that person to make sense as the killer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Sexual content, Vomit, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Ableism, Child abuse, and Rape
thenonmouse's review
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Ableism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cannibalism, Suicide, and Car accident
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