Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

28 reviews

holly_rose997's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Incredible, it was so hard to put down, interesting premise and amazing characters and such a painful story 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction

kates_cupcakes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Easily one of the best books I’ve ever read, there was such a sense of forgetting, being forgotten. Abandonment is a large theme and finding who you are. There’s a beautiful story of persevering despite your surroundings and helping others so they don’t experience the same pain you did. I found myself wanting to build up other women and wondering why we all feel against each other when we should help. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Stalking, Rape, Pregnancy, Drug use, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Torture, Gun violence, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

emelyxo7's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Body horror, Confinement, Murder, Rape, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

swformentano's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, and Trafficking

anissawren's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Suicide, Child abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, and Vomit

sydgolt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Holy fucking shit. this is one of the best books i think ive ever read. it was beyond dark and beyond twisted, but was written, so incredibly well. I have read a fair amount of thrillers and psychological thrillers, but this one easily takes its place at the top of my list. The characters were written so well and the plot developed so seamlessly in a way that I don’t feel like I’ve read for a long time. Way that the author switched back and forth between past and present, but the story itself kept flowing, was so cool and so captivating I literally could not put this book down. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about this book. I could hardly focus on anything else unless I was sitting down and reading it.

One thing I found that added to how deranged this book is, is how the author made you almost like the gardener and Desmond. she wrote them in such a delicate way, and gave them such gentle personalities that you almost started to feel safe when they came into the room. but then she would add a comment about who these people really are and it would remind you that they are monsters, and that you should not like them. It’s almost like she was giving the Stockholm syndrome. And I find that incredibly cool. I don’t think it was a particularly difficult thing for the author to do but I thought it was a really interesting addition to the experience of the book. 

I will recommend this book until the day I die, but only to specific people. I do not think of this book is for everyone because of how dark and twisted it is, but the writing the characters, the plot, the ending are just so incredible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Child abuse, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Violence, Suicide, Self harm, Gun violence, and Confinement

themichellegray's review

dark sad 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

2.5

A grim, heartbreaking story told through unstructured writing and a confusing 'interview' format. I found it quite difficult to suspend my belief for this wildly unrealistic plot which unfortunately made it read like a commodity of other's very real trauma.

While I don't find much enjoyment in this type of book, the hopefulness is what carried me forward. I was rooting for the victims eventual escape and happiness alongside justice being served. Yet the ending wasn't as gratifying as I would've liked and instead concluded with a lazy "twist" (if you can even call it that).

There's definitely an audience for this darker book seemingly created for shock value. Without much depth written into the overarching story though, I don't fit into that group.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Abandonment, and Gun violence

Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy

letrasenrizo's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, and Gun violence

Minor: Self harm and Suicide

phoricho's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I initially rated this book 4 stars, but after a couple of months of it living rent-free in my mind, I decided to change that to a 5 star. My original rating was more due to the fact that this book left me not knowing how to feel. It was so different from anything I've ever read, both in content and layout. 

Content-wise, it's a very dark book, and the characters go through numerous traumas. It's not for everyone. Check the trigger warnings.

Layout-wise, there are no chapters. That's unique, but it works with the story. There are two parts, and the POVs are broken up by section breaks. 

Yes, it's a horrifying story, but I thought it was beautifully told, and the characters felt so real. I'm excited to read the rest of the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Rape, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Torture, Trafficking, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

ca_cooke's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I have read this book before. Long ago. I loved it then, and I loved it now. It’s a psychological thriller that follows the most twisted of stories, through an FBI agency, the place that deals with children, and it becomes a series that follows. This takes crime stories to a whole other level, and the writing is an easy to read type, but also very thought out and intricate. Keeps you on your seat at all times. I really enjoyed it, especially because the author likes to hang on the idea of the victim knowing or doing more than the agents expect, leading to the capture of their perpetrators. These are twisted in the best kind of way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Gun violence

Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment