Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

13 reviews

zach_off's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Captivating murder mystery with a chilling subplot that seamlessly connects the dots. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Death, Suicide, Torture, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

bethasaurus13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I’ll admit, I flew through this book but part of that was because I wanted it to end. The topic of SA is very sensitive and difficult to discuss in a respectful way. While this book talked about it well in certain aspects, I was left in shock at how it talked about SA in other ways.  It seemed as though the author read a few articles about SA and got a basic understanding but not a complete understanding. The discussion of SA throughout the book felt shallow. I’d be very surprised if the author even talked to a survivor of sexual assault for this book. The author 
portrays Kelly’s supporters as “man hating feminists” who are just as bad as the people supporting the rapist. The book seemed to sympathize with rapists on numerous occasions giving them past stories of trauma and abuse while not pushing back on how said abuse and trauma don’t excuse anything.  It was incredibly disappointing. On top of the failed discussion of SA, the book is riddled with continuity errors (ex. the judge somehow had no reversals in his record but later he suddenly had one) and bad grammar. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

lilawsahar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I listened to the audio book and I highly recommend! There were three narrators hired to read the book and they all did a remarkable job. I love how the chapters alternated between Rachel’s POV (the podcaster), Hannah’s letters (the sister of a tragic incident), and Rachel’s podcasts. Hannah’s letters had me at the edge of my seat every time. I loved how the two cases were tied together and the whole time I was thinking “who was Jenny’s murderer?”.

I can’t wait until the next book!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

The Details:
Narrated by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, Samantha Desz
Unabridged 

One of my late netgalley arcs, I decided to listen to via my library app.

This was riveting and harrowing read following a dual sexual assault case, one in the present day and one set in the mystery of a cover up that happened some years before. 

We follow a podcast presenter investigating both cases and it was interesting to see the perspective of varying characters of what, to me, is an obviously awful crime.

The acts done to the body was so graphic and really hard to read, so please bear that in mind.

Overall, I'm glad to have finally read this, but it was a heavy, difficult read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Car accident, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Stalking, Torture, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

readersmultiverse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.5

• It’s not so much a thriller; it’s more of a mystery with a very important focal point and focus: rape and what victims of it must endure to try to get their rapists convicted. 
• There are dual mysteries with similarities since both are dealing with victims of horrid sexual crimes. Both were interesting to follow, especially through our strong and investigative main character, Rachel Krall. Her podcasts episodes were scripted out for readers and was entertaining to read. Rachel was perceptive, brave and intelligent. The writing throughout the book was brilliant and cleverly worded. 
• The twists aren’t shocking, nor do I think they were meant to be. The point was clearly more about the story of what happened and the difficult journey of trying to obtain justice. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Terminal illness

jaylee_books's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Rape, Death, Grief, Suicide, Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent and Cancer

ejr1904's review against another edition

4.25

This book was fast paced, sensitive, and relatively trauma informed. 

The story lines blended together seamlessly. There were some genuine moments of surprise. 

Justice is not always served in the way we desire, but there was something relatively satisfying about the ends being tied up in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, and Murder

rachelsbookishlife's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Violence

julienicole1106's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Car accident, Child abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Torture