Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Extasia by Claire Legrand

22 reviews

redwing's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

merlin_reads's review against another edition

dark

3.75

 So this book threw me for a loop. I honestly went into not really knowing what to expect. I feel like this book wasn't promoted as well as her other books. I found it by accident in the bookstore one day. But I am glad I did.

Imagine living in a patriarchal village where four girls get chosen as saints by "God". They remain saints until the have their first bleed (aka period) because then they are tainted and can no longer be pure, so they are replaced with the next girl who's name is whispered to the elders. The girls are chosen to hear the confessions of the townspeople - however the confessions aren't what you think confessions are. Here, the townspeople are free to do what they want to the saints as this apparently brings them closer to Gods love. When Amity is chosen as a Saint, she thinks it's everything she's ever wanted and a way to help the town move past the sins of her mother. But along the way, her eyes are opened to the darkness surrounding their village and the lies that were told to keep them in line.

This book was violent. Legrand holds nothing back when she describes the abuse these girls go through or the murders that happen. It honestly felt gratuitous at times but yet it added to the dark tones of this book and really helped sink you into this world.

I would like to say that I was blown away by the twist at the end but alas, I don't know if it's because I've seen so many horror stories, but I had guessed the big reveal from the first chapter. But while i knew where it was heading, I was extremely sucked in to see how it would be revealed. I wanted the history of how this village came to be.

This book shows the darkness in people and what they choose to do with it. It also shows the strength that one can hold inside of them while being constantly beaten down. The ending was very open ended, but also hinted that there could be more to tell in this world. I haven't seen any hints of a sequel but I do hope Legrand expands on this world because so much was revealed that I want to know more about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Animal death

shelfdeprecation's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Body horror, and Child abuse

Moderate: Colonisation, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault

senwithers'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Gore

The cult/religious trauma is intense in this one.

aseel_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

2.5

Kind of odd to mix a super patriarchal society/witches with a dystopian type of world. Not really sure how I feel about that. I liked the witchy and queer elements of it but the overall plot wasn't as smooth as It could have been. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Lesbophobia, Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Torture, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Religious bigotry

zero_sjl'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia

jokehelldo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

2.75

Ending fucked everything up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Body horror, and Torture

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

Minor: Lesbophobia and Homophobia

annamorgan27's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Torture

lvjysunday's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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: Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Gore, Physical abuse, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Grief and Animal death

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics.

ghostlyprince's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

 

I'd rate this higher if it wasn't for the constant sexual content of minor characters :/

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Animal death, Cannibalism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Torture, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Confinement, and Self harm

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Honestly there is so much heavy stuff in this book it'd be impossible to list it all, this book is not for the feint of heart and if any of the tw's contain a trigger of yours I'd advise to steer clear from the book, it's a good book but it's extremely heavy and disturbing