Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Changeling by Victor LaValle

63 reviews

littlemissanalog's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

A very wild ride. Slow opening and busy for first half but then cracks open and takes off

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Child death

montereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, and Child death

breazatoth's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Child death

bleepbloop's review against another edition

adventurous dark

4.0

goofy gross depressing fairy tale

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, and Murder

jennshelfishlife's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, and Domestic abuse

jaqxun's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Cursing, Blood, Death, Torture, Gun violence, and Murder

mel_084'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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts

saltedsnail's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

This novel absolutely blew me away. I’d been meaning to pick it up  ever since I’d read Ballad Of Black Tom some years back but kept managing to put it off. There was a moment, about half way through, where I sat back and went “damn, this is going to be my favorite book this year and we’re not even a month in yet.” LaValle’s prose is just so utterly captivating and beautiful - he truly is capable of writing a contemporary fairy tale. He took his sweet time through the start of the novel and yet not a moment felt wasted - the patience only serves to devastate you. 

The Changeling manages to do so many things at once - it’s a thriller, it’s a masterful piece of magical realism, it’s a modern fairytale, it’s a who-dun-it, it’s the hero’s journey, it’s the most beautiful love story ever told. 

The only fault I could find is that I wish it were even longer. The patience LaValle committed to getting to the “plot” of the book felt so earned. The last half felt somewhat rushed in comparison, especially the climactic ending. I really appreciated the commitment to not explaining away things - fairytales do not have to explain themselves - so I don’t wish LaValle had spent more time flushing out the lore of north brother island or kinder garten or anything like that, but rather that we’d spent as much time with the emotional realities of Apollo and Emma in the last few chapters as we had the first. Regardless, I’ll be thinking about this story and the way that it was told for a very long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Murder, Child death, Mental illness, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide, and Grief

hauntedantiqueshop's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

Could have been more fun and full of dark whimsy but I liked the story for what it is.

I do want go to the island of wild women. Also I now have to rewatch Hilda and Trollhunters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Kidnapping

Moderate: Murder

jess4276's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

2.0

This book was incredibly slow and there was so much that wasn't resolved or explained. I couldn't wait for it to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Cursing, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting