Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Revenge: A Novel by Yōko Ogawa

12 reviews

sandeeisreading's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

“The desires of the human heart know no reason or rules.”

If I could summarize this book in just one word, I would choose the word eerie.
 
Revenge is a collection of short interconnected stories that might not seem related at first, but as you read through each chapters, you’ll get called back to think on the events that happened the chapter before. The way it was narrated was very detached yet very personal at the same time. Each and every chapter has this sinister, otherworldly atmosphere that will make you second guess whether what you’re reading is actually happening in the present, the past, or if it’s really even happening at all.
 
Each story in this book is narrated by a different character. You don’t get to know who they are, but as you read through each chapters, you'll get either a background on who this person is, or you find out what happened to them after their chapter is over. Turns out, I really love this type of narrative style. Was it confusing at times? Yes, but I think that was intentional. It gave the reader this feeling of fear and unease by being unsure or completely not knowing.
 
One recurring theme among most of the stories that I observed is that of obsession. Each stories highlight a form of obsession which either directly or indirectly affects the narrator that then adds another layer of unease for the readers. This book didn’t have a lot of horrifying scenarios in my opinion, but there were plenty of times where the character’s macabre thoughts were far more disturbing than the actual occurrences within the book. While Revenge is not the epitome of horror, I believe it was able to achieve what it intended to do - freak me the fuck out.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, Death, Addiction, and Blood

jan_coco_day's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Eleven short stories that are interconnected by dark strings that weave a tapestry of misery and violence in the lives of the characters who inhabit it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Animal death, Murder, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Death, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Moderate: Death of parent

wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Animal cruelty

savvylit's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

Revenge is an entertaining and fast-paced read. Though billed as horror, this collection is more creepy and unsettling than scary. There is loads of murder, a heart beating outside of the body, a museum of torture instruments, and more. Ogawa skillfully weaves these interconnected lives together in a way that's intriguing and satisfying.

If you're in the mood for quick and creepy, look no further than this collection!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Stalking, and Violence

etherealsuju's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Stalking, Violence, Car accident, and Murder

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

quite a few of these were misses to me which lowered the rating despite some pretty good stories. i don’t know if i would consider them horror stories though. most were pretty tame imo. i did like how they all connected though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Mental illness, Body horror, Medical content, Murder, Terminal illness, Violence, and Blood

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Gore, and Child death

linguaphile412's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Violence, Gore, Infidelity, Car accident, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Child death, Murder, Gore, Confinement, Infidelity, and Animal death

Moderate: Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol, Suicide, Cancer, Car accident, and Pregnancy

theredheded_bibliomaniac's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Blood, and Animal death