Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

21 reviews

theliteraryhooker's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-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

3.0

Really enjoyed the first 200 pages but after that things kind of derailed for me. I didn't love where the plot ultimately ended up and I found the characters way too catty and self-centered in the face of what they were supposed to be dealing with. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Confinement, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Child abuse

mgwuh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Suicide

runes_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

No spoiler review!
5/5 stars
Read for 2 hours and 41 minutes according to Libby, and picked it up four times (so like 40ish minutes average per sitting)
LOVED this story! The characters were so incredible and interesting, I cared so much for all of them. The POV switching was great and easy to follow, the vibes and word choice and IMAGERY was just amazing. Every character was so distinct and their own whole person. Some stories with POV switching and this many characters get sort of muddled, this certainly did not. It took me a while to love the characters, but once I did? They were so life like. All in all, a wonderful book that made me cry. There are some pretty heavy topics though, so make sure to check with the content warnings first

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Cursing, Sexual assault, and Gun violence

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Abandonment, Classism, Racism, Vomit, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Body horror, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gun violence, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts

emmaward55's review against another edition

dark sad tense

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

4.75

This book is perfect for anyone who loves the Charmed TV series and thought it could be scarier.

When I was on chapter four, my working theory was that the missing girls were being turned into horses by Val and her mum: But oh, it's so much darker than that. I love a good horror film, yet I found myself more creeped out in reading this book than I expected to be. Legrand's writing is evocative, tense, and atmospheric, without getting too bogged down in description. There's plenty of action and moments of good character growth throughout.

I read this book in two days, mostly in three long chunks, as I couldn't drag myself away to focus on anything else! I loved the complex relationships of our three protagonists and their characterisations have to be a highlight for me. Can't lie though, I’m sad that we didn’t get a reunion scene at the end between Marion and her mum. Considering that this is a book about female relationships, it feels weird to not include one of the protagonists interacting with the last present female parent of the trio. 

That being said, the above was my only real complaint. I'd certainly read this book again and I recommend it for anyone with a strong stomach!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Blood, Self harm, Child death, Violence, Torture, Animal death, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

Child death and kidnapping:

All are around 17

Self harm:

The only instance I remember is a character burning something off their skin, but it's done to save themselves and others

Drug abuse and suicidal thoughts:

A secondary character isn't trusted with their prescription medication, as a loved one suspects they might intentionally overdose. Nothing actually happens and it's just a brief mention.

oliverreeds's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

pretty good. the character relationships were stilted at the beginning. i didnt understand their motivations but it made sense at the end. i just wish there had been more friendship initially. would have provided a better foundation

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Police brutality, Self harm, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

danaslitlist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

This is Stranger Things meets pure horror, a science fiction paranormal mystery. I didn’t know I needed or wanted that until now.

Sawkill Girls is best described as an emotional rollercoaster. From terrifying to melancholy to comedic the range of feelings I experienced reading this was far and wide. All these emotions tangled up wonderfully and as a result had my attention wrapped up in the story at every turn. 

The commentary on how men view girls as weapons to weird and tools to possess are so beautifully illustrated. I am also a sucker for any book where female characters group together to defend and support one soother, the solidarity immediate and unquestioned. Having three very different female characters interacting, even when there was distrust, in that way was refreshing. 



This book also has asexual and sapphic representation that was handled really well; it was the cherry  on top.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Animal death

Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, and Body horror

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

This book had me from the very first line and I kept staying up late to keep reading until I could no longer keep my eyes open! Which is rare but also bad, because I was freaked out when the lights went out .

I loved the plot, the characters, and their development. I was completely immersed in the world of Sawkill and rooting for the girls! I also really liked the switching POVs. Sawkill Girls was truly an amazing book, and considering I’m a scaredy cat who typically avoids horror novels-I was blown away! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Gore, Car accident, and Grief

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexual content, and Sexism

Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse