Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Gerald's Game by Stephen King

13 reviews

k8lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.0

hella content warnings.
also includes necrophilia (not an option on content warnings)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

meliacartin's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

this was………. a lot. this was SO much. this book took me months to get through because it is so slow and so dense but it wasn’t a book that i found myself bored by (for the most part). yes the book took forever but the pacing of the book is very reflective of jessie’s experience of being literally chained to a bed in the middle of the woods for like 28 hours. i have several criticisms of this book but the pacing isn’t one

the scene with the broken cup i had to skip because of how intense and graphic it was, same with the eclipse scene. while i understand why the cup scene was included, but it felt odd to me that the eclipse scene went into such incredible detail of the abuse that jessie endured. i think it would have been more effective had the reader been left to connect certain dots, rather that being given a play-by-play

because of how drawn out the book was, it took forever to get to what the ACTUAL plot was. for that reason, it felt really out of left field to me. i’d spent so much of the book thinking it was just going to be an escape plan that the inclusion of That One Guy didn’t make a ton of sense to me? like it did but it didn’t, i don’t know. this is a very poorly worded review lol

the end was a little meh for me. the book felt like it just kept going, trying to explain more and more and more. it would have been fine to leave certain things more open-ended or not as black-and-white

idk. for my first stephen king novel, i think this was a good choice. but i did not expect this to go the way it did at all when i first started it. i doubt anyone will read this before reading, but if they do: PLEASE heed the content warnings

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

19mclaste's review

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sirbellows's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

SUCH A GOOD STEPHEN KING BOOK. This was peak King: claustrophobic terror of the mundane through a plot that is so primally horrific. There’s a depth to the MC’s backstory as well that made the story read as a bit more important, and the “supernatural” elements were just grounded and realistic enough to give me actual, real-life shivers. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Body horror

claireltravers's review

dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, and Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

theimposter's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

This book is a beautiful and traumatizing expression of trauma (sexual trauma specifically) and of the mind’s internal family system which Stephen King writes so accurately and in such a personifying way. It was also the most triggering book I’ve ever read and I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who is triggered by sexual abuse/rape or anyone who doesn’t want to read gore and body horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

kreglow's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

ansatejones's review

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

She should have adopted the damn dog at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bookishchaos's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Great idea but not great execution. Considering this is a fairly short story, nothing really happened other then flashbacks and subplots. The beginning was very rushed then the middle was EXTREMELY slow. Instead of random flashbacks, we should've learned more about Jessie's past in the beginning and have us readers slowly learn how truly evil her husband was. Stephen King has some way better books to be read, I wouldn't recommend this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Torture

ajg2289's review

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

1.0

This was my first Stephen King novel and will be my last. He uses the word “cunt” in a really obnoxious way and he seems to be darkly fascinated by children and sexuality and exploiting them in that way. Making up horrific stories and scenarios and describing them in the most dense, pointless way. DO NOT RECOMMEND. 
The twist at the end was laughable and had nothing to do with the story prior the last 40 pages. Terrible.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail