Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

A estranha Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

20 reviews

gigibaiao's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A deeply disturbing but unfortunately realistic book. Very interesting to read, but some moments were so horrific that they made me nauseous. Beware of triggers, as this book has many. I loved reading this book, but at the same time it made me sick. I felt anxious and sad about living in a reality where such sad things happen, and it made me cry. This book made me realise that thrillers on these subjects are not for me, even though they have a high literary quality. The author really took care to illustrate the places and people of certain nationalities accurately, and that impressed me positively.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Physical abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Confinement

musings_of_a_middleaged_mum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Car accident, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

weekatsie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Drug use

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Rape, Violence, and Suicide attempt

cheryl_gager's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.25

This book took me by surprise in more than one way. The synopsis does not hint at how dark the themes of this book are and when it is revealed at the start of part 2 (just under 100 pages in) it is shocking. I think the themes are tackled in a way that is easily digestible as there is a level of detachment from a lot of the most traumatic, disturbing moments (which were off page) didn't happen to the characters whose POVs we get. I loved Sally as a character, the growth she had and the inner turmoil she faced made her POV heartbreaking and heart warming all at once. I got frustrated with the side characters around her because they expected her to be understanding to things and others but it was not always reciprocated and she was never truly given the benefit of the doubt and treated like her choices mattered, especially if she made them on her own. The other POV was more heartbreaking. This is a story of how a negative cycle of behaviour can start (I am using negative but it is not even close to how dark somethings got) and how the cycle continues but I feel like there is hope at the end of the potential for these generational cycles to be broken.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, and Car accident

This has a lot darker themes then the synopsis would suggest. You do read about a child being kidnapped and held in a looked room. You also can work out what is going on in the room where the 2 different women were held (one of which you meet after they have been there for 7 years already), and it does eventually being said / confirmed later in the book. However, you do not actually see what happens to these poor girls/women in this situation and you are reading about it from someone who never witnessed the worst of it. There is one racist character but they are confronted and challenged straight away and they face consequences which are so fitting. The book ends at the start of the 2020 pandemic so there is brief mention of it existing but no real detail about what it is or the effects. Mental health and trauma is also discussed and you do read transcripts from the first victim / person kidnapped, whilst in a psychiatric ward in the lead up before she commits suicide.

madh2os's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Rape, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny

karenperry93's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Grief, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Pandemic/Epidemic, Kidnapping, Incest, Homophobia, Car accident, Bullying, Pedophilia, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship

rosamund4096's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

It took me a little while to get in to this book but soon I was gripped and couldn't put it down. I found the ending a bit unsatisfying, I would have liked a bit more time to see the impact of the book's resolution on the different characters.

I found Peters arc a bit frustrating, at times he seemed totally lucid and in touch with what was right and wrong, which was hard to believe as it wasn't clear what had changed to alter his thinking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Violence, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Torture

julsilv's review against another edition

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

4.25

This book was trauma porn basically. Every time I was like wow that sounds like the most traumatic horrible thing ever, it just kept getting more intense/worse. So, huge trigger warning for abduction, sexual abuse, rape, and violence. 

The hook of the book, where sally burns her father in the beginning, literally almost has nothing to do with the rest of it. It’s so crazy. The book takes a while to pick up in the beginning but after Part II begins it gets a lot more complex and interesting. 

There were some things about this book that are predictable and some that aren’t at all, but it was a fast enough read with enough happening to be really engrossing. 

Great book club book, honestly a lot of questions popped up for discussion about ethics, morals and the line between good and bad, along with themes of what it means to be related to someone and how similar or different you might be from your blood relatives. 

Overall, if you want something dark but a quick read that has some twists, then this could be a great book for you. 

Was content with the ending (that’s all I’ll say without giving it away). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Confinement

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Abandonment, and Murder

knit_the_resistance's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Everything about the book is gripping, upsetting, and unsettling... Until the last 4 paragraphs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Death, Blood, Vomit, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Racism, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence