Reviews tagging 'Torture'

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

9 reviews

spacehemy's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Blood, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Torture, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Toxic friendship

The main character reminds me of the show Dexter where its main character was a sociopath himself. I think the store does a fine job taking us through John Cleaver’s emotions and tendencies he tries to suppress. Since we are reading in John’s pov certain scenes are graphic and the characters goes into deep detail about then graphics to be warned

lonelylooper's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Mental illness

Minor: Misogyny and Suicidal thoughts

eternallyunsatisfied's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Violence, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

lillym's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

This book is disturbing, gruesome, and horrid. Yet it is so interesting. I was on the edge of my seat the WHOLE book, and really enjoyed the journey of John 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Death, Violence, and Torture

yomireads's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A darkly compelling introduction to this YA series. Part murder mystery/whodunit, part supernatural monster hunter I found the protagonists uniquely compelling in his plight to embrace just the right amount of a darkness inside himself. After finishing this book and learning it had a sequel there was no hesitation. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Stalking, Violence, and Mental illness

Moderate: Torture and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse

kuhnja's review

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Took off just a little bit for the supernatural aspect - I think the book would have been more effective without. Regardless SUCH a good book. One of the best of the year. So spooky, heartfelt coming of age wrestling with demons baby Dahmer style cool take

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Torture, and Violence

booksofautumn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Death, Torture, and Bullying

sexualedward's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Medical content, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Stalking, Sexual violence, Cursing, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcohol, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Ableism, and Addiction

elly29's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This is certainly an interesting premise: a sociopath who fights against his desire to become a serial killer, and who instead uses his knowledge to solve a string of murders. 

This felt like a first novel, definitely. I listened to the version John Allen Nelson narrates. (Apparently, Kirby Heyborne's version is supposed to be really good.) I was turned off in the first few chapters, because Nelson's narration was gratingly similar to Will Wheaton's narration of "Ready Player One," which I loathed (I also loathed the writing). The books have in common a whiny, angry, angsty teenage boy who hates the world around him. And, they also have some mary-sue levels of self-control and self-discipline.

But, things took a turn, and here be spoilers.

I didn't realize that this book had

an element or fantasy to it, ie the murderer is a demon

. So, that was a fun surprise. Shame on me for going purely on my friend's recommendation and not reading the synopsis. Had the book not had some level of the fantastical to it, I think I would've liked it a lot less. I could chew on something other than the main character's one-dimensionality.

I think a book like this is important in that it really gets inside the head of a sociopath (and perhaps if one is a sociopath, it signals what one should not do, such as not stalk the girl you have a crush on). Again, interesting premise. Rather creepy.

Oh, and an early scene describes in-detail the process of embalming in a mortuary. I had to skip over a lot of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death, and Animal cruelty