Reviews tagging 'Rape'

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel

58 reviews

marisasabino's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Violence, Cursing, Sexism, Rape, Infertility, Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Murder, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Child abuse

livsreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Addiction, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

eenie816's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Fantastic. So hard to recommend because of heavy trigger warnings.  I want to go back and reread because of the twist but not sure I can?  I borrowed it from the library but will probably buy a copy just in case I can get the nerve to read again.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Addiction, Drug use, Murder, Body horror, Child abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Animal death

layton93's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Stalking, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Murder, Miscarriage, Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, and Grief

lost_luna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This book has broken me repeatedly 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Car accident, Alcoholism, Addiction, Rape, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual content, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Animal death, Child death, Violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, and Cursing

Moderate: Self harm

breeamf's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Death, and Drug abuse

mmccombs's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

4.0

Just completely bleak from the beginning. Every terrible thing that can happen to a person happens in this book and it was pretty brutal to read. I didn’t love Betty but was inspired to read this one because the writing was just stunning. On the Savage Side was no different, and despite the deep sorrow of the book I felt that the writing elevated it and kept me going. I kind of wish that the river pov was used throughout the novel rather than being packed in the beginning, and I did find the twist at the end to be kind of cheesy. Something about the characters didn’t feel super authentic, but I also can’t really speak to the level addiction, poverty, and abuse that influenced these characters’ actions and style of speaking/thinking. I think the last chapter really captured the essence of this novel and made me go “oh, this is what she was going for!” and brought everything together. Ultimately, this felt like a much more together novel than Betty, though I still wished for a bit more cohesiveness at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Sexual violence, Addiction, Drug use, Murder, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Grief, Pedophilia, Violence, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Rape

brittonmc1221's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Police brutality, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Drug use, Physical abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, and Rape

thebphiles's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, and Death

reading_and_roaming20's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

What a gorgeous, yet brutal story. Days later, I am struggling to put coherent thoughts down to accurately express what this book is. 

The circumstances sisters Arc and Daffy endured from childhood and beyond are heart wrenching. The reality is that the abuse and cycle of addiction within the pages of their story is not at all fictional for so many. TIFFANY MCDANIEL humanizes and creates empathy for women on the fringes. I had such love for all of the Chillicothe Queens. 

MCDANIEL uses unique aspects of this book to make it so much more. The first section blew me away with the river’s perspective of a murdered woman traveling through her waters at the end of each chapter. It was both eerie and beautiful.

This book is not going to be for everyone. As far as content warnings go, it’s got them all. There are graphic descriptions of drug use, assault, and violence. But they are not gratuitous or included for shock value. Each horrific scene serves a purpose in building the story and invoking emotion in the reader. 

There are illustrations throughout that set the scene as you progress from one chapter to the next. I made an effort to finish reading at one of these illustrations each time I put the book down. I would absolutely recommend this strategy. It immediately put me back in the story to open back up to a keyhole or drawing of an eye. 

And I can’t post this review without giving MCDANIEL credit for one of the best twists of all time. It is not often that I am caught so completely off guard. Honestly, just incredible. 

There is simply not enough that can be said about ON THE SAVAGE SIDE. It deserves all the stars and then some. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Body horror, Rape, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual violence, Torture, and Miscarriage