Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Change by Kirsten Miller

63 reviews

lilifane's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this! 
This was a lot more fun than I expected it would be, although there are some dark and difficult topics as well. Since I still don't read book descriptions, I didn't know what this would be about and was completely surprised. 
I knew it was a female rage book, but I had no idea about the plot or themes. So this centers around 3 middle-aged women at the beginning of their menopause who discover a dead girl at the beach as well as some supernatural powers within themselves. With these powers, they try to solve the murder that no one else seems to take seriously and generally help out other women and take revenge on men, basically. 
I did not expect a murder mystery to be part of the story and since I love those, I was pleasantly surprised. Thought, the mystery is kind of in the background of the plot for most of the time and is more of a plot device. I think it was rather predictable too, but I didn't mind because I cared more about the characters, themes and messages of the book. 
I loooooved the characters. Not only the 3 protagonists but also their families and their dynamics. The way they talked to each other, to their daughters, to anyone around them really. The way they just stopped giving a f*** and took control over their lives. Amazing. 
The plot was often interrupted by background stories of the women involved which showed how they were wronged by men in their lives one way or another. Usually these kinds of tangents would make me impatient or bring me out of a book completely, but I was enjoying the whole experience way too much here and couldn't put the book down. The misogynistic microaggressions also made me SO angry, because they felt so real. And it might feel like a lot or even extreme, but is it though? The way feminist themes are portrayed here is very on the nose, but it's also refreshing how unapologetic and direct they are handled. 
I'm a peaceful person and I believe in peaceful solutions. But I get there are situations where peaceful doesn't accomplish anything. And it felt so good and cathartic to see these women reclaiming their power and taking revenge in such a satisfying way.
Loved the writing, loved witchy vibes, loved the humor. And the audiobook is excellent. 

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ashwaar's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

I knew before I started reading that I would love this book. It sounded right up my street. However, the doesn’t mean it was an easy ride. I get very emotionally invested in the books I read, and when I love a story, I really love it. Unfortunately that means I have to take breaks every so often so I don’t get too.. emotional about it.

The Change follows three women: Harriet, Nessa and Jo as they attempt to unravel the identities of the bodies of two young girls they find on the coastline of their local neighbourhood. With chapters dedicated to the experiences and struggles these women have overcome, they find themselves embracing a newer, stronger power as they age, allowing them to protect and take revenge on those doing wrong.

This book was such a fun time, I was immediately hooked on the characters, both protagonists and antagonists. Harriet, Nessa and Jo’s backstories were compelling and understandably frustrating. It’s a bit on the long side and parts of the story could have definitely been edited a bit more, but I like how self-contained this tale of female revenge was. I didn’t think it was ‘man-hating’ at all, there were plenty of strong, well-intentioned male characters, but the story is about violence against, and treatment of, women, so of course it’s going to focus on those topics.

I thought this book was fantastic and covered so many topics surrounding sexism, misogyny and ageism. I would love to see more older characters given the page time they deserve, especially if they’re as great as these three!

Read the review on https://book990337086.wordpress.com/

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lorahkay's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This book wants to be a feminist thriller but it often misses the mark. It’s clear the author has not confronted her own implicit beauty and size biases… so, while attempting to invoke post-menopausal bad-assery from her main characters, it’s frequently complicated by her seemingly subconscious devaluation of other women at the same time (e.g. one woman was making “bad” food choices; the same woman, abused and bulimic, would be “pretty again” if she addressed her “grey skin” and “thinning hair”; main characters are **worthy** because they work out and keep their bodies fit, and on and on the list goes quietly criticizing the woman in the background). The plot is mildly interesting but also seems to miss the mark. The ending was obvious from miles away. This book fell flat and kinda pissed me off, tbh. 

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kmark's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

5.0


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anyareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5


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bumblepony's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

I really enjoyed the tone and theme of this book. It spoke to a part of my soul that needed to see some badass women taking the patriarchy down.

I will say there were some parts that dragged a bit, but overall the pace was good.

I think all the characters were well thoughtout and I really enjoyed the surprise ending.

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miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was very confused about the time line in this book

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sciencewhizliz's review against another edition

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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

4.5

I really liked this book. It was dark. But it was a fascinating plot with an interesting group of characters. Lots of trigger warnings for people though. 

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liblady0308's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

Loved this book - I’m surging with primal energy, raw power and rage. The trio and how the story unfolded kept me eager to know what happens next. I’d love a continuation of these characters. My only complaint was that
all the bad-person deaths were fairly satisfying, but the one “orchestrator” one was super anticlimactic for me. Like really, Jyo just lights a few things on fire? All that power they showed she had the potential for and she didn’t really use it? And Harriet just watched? Boo. I wanted something more gruesome and symbolic, like the other deaths.
. But overall I loved it. 

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bookishbrtny's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? No

5.0

Such a great book!  3 strong women kicking ass!  Twists I didn't see coming.  Very feminist.  My only complaint is that at so.e points it was difficult to follow who's pov it was, but that could be because I was listening to the audiobook.  Absolutely recommend! 

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