Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

66 reviews

klitanightfuryreads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I’m happy to start the year with such a strong book. I loved the book since the first Olivia chapter..

It was a rollercoaster that I didn’t want to end, I could easily read a second book about it. I thought I had it figured it out at first, then changed my mind, then everything was upside down and then everything made sense…

I may come back and write a more detailed reviewed later but right now I’m still processing and enjoying what happened…

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Suicide

hillarydanielle's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

Loved the cat’s character, hilarious concept. A few hard to read scenes concerning animal death and abuse.
Would recommend for fans of I’m think of Ending Things. You will be confused as hell but you’ll keep reading on the edge of your seat to find out what’s happened, what’s going on, and what will happen next. If you haven’t read the author’s note after finishing the book I highly suggest it.

Was a bit disappointed that the big reveal surrounded a character with DID, similar to my disappointment with I’m Thinking of Ending Things. However the author did a fantastic job, I was constantly second guessing who each character really was, and was unsure if the cat and Lauren were in fact both girls, both cats, or a single entity. The way the author played with time also had me very confused and I was constantly waiting for a reveal that these things were all happening at different points in time. Especially with the mentioning of “the green boys” I was hoping for a more out-there ending. Overall some scenes were very hard to read from Olivia’s birth story to constant abuse flashbacks and the fact that Olivia was constantly starved by Ted’s neglect. The chest freezer was an absolute nightmare, the thought of boys decomposing and turning green in the attic, and the Misery imagery of broken feet. I was absolutely sucked in and while I think the author did a great job at what she set out to do, I was a bit disappointed in the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

misty_muskrat's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

<SPOILER>
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A mystery/horror where the D.I.D. system is the victim/survivor and is not only completely innocent, but  gains a hopeful ending and a supportive friend.
<SPOILER>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment and Alcoholism

backpackingbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.75

Like most people who've read this book, I had no idea where it was going at the start and was tempted at times to DNF (a religious talking cat was certainly a new one for me). Although I had no idea what was happening, something kept me turning the pages and I'm so glad I did. If you're reading this book right now and can't decide whether to continue, I urge you to STICK WITH IT. Because what follows is nothing short of brilliant.

It's impossible to do this book justice without revealing spoilers so I'll try and keep it vague. Firstly, I have to commend the author for the amount of research she put into this book; the way she constructed the narrative was outstanding. It could have easily fallen down a 'tropey' hole but because there was so much research conducted, it turned into something completely original and sticky, as in I won't be forgetting this book for a very very long time.

Secondly, top marks for character building and exploration especially with such complex characters that must have been very difficult to switch between. The writing in this book is a little tricky at first, but also reflects the characters and their thoughts brilliantly.

I can't say anymore but definitely pick this up if you're interested in a gritty, psychological thriller that pushes the boundaries of genre standards.

Rating breakdown

• Plot/narrative - 4.8
• Writing style/readability - 4.4
• Characters - 4.8
• Diverse themes - 4.7
• Ending - 4.7

Overall - 4.7

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, and Suicide

Moderate: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Kidnapping

karamelka_kar19's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty

alexsprettyvenom's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, and Ableism