Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

13 reviews

paigestilwill's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Blake’s writing is quick-paced and spooky, and she does well to build tension and mystery over the course of the book. What I was less impressed with, like many other reviewers, was the sheer amount of unanswered elements left hanging at the end.

Additionally, for it being a piece set in the 50s, Blake wrote about the teens in a very modern way, a couple of times mentioning soda pop shops or drive-ins, but not really framing the language in any concrete way to make you FEEL like you were in that time period. In fact, many times I had to remind myself that it was set in the 50s, because the writing style and diction didn’t reflect that. Once I thought, why not check security cameras, completely forgetting that was not an option in the 50s 🤦🏻‍♀️

I also found many parts of this story unbelievable—how a 17 year old was allowed to investigate the most prolific serial killer in the country,

Marie being covered in blood from throwing up on herself (what??? The physics don’t add up)

, the lack of depth and complexity afforded many of the characters, including the Nebraskan DA,

Steve’s friends threatening to shoot Michael for trying to get to the truth about his murder

… the clarifications we do get seem half-baked and not well thought through. 

In all, it was quick and the fast cadence of the plot made it a more gripping read, but it felt like much of the building action was pointless, and I expected and wished for more answers, even if it hadn’t been all of them. There’s nothing wrong with leaving readers wanting more, but this one had more loose ends than seemed necessary. I understand wanting the reader to make their own conclusions, just like the public had to when similar cases actually occurred in history. However, after 300 pages, the reader deserves some semblance of an explanation, rather than a half-hearted ending that raised its own questions more than answers. 

I’m not sure if I’d return to Blake’s work in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault

Minor: Gun violence

riflelizards's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Bullying, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

mandkips's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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: Murder, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death

Minor: Child abuse and Rape

vaniavela'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. An impossible explanation.

Michael was an interesting narrator. He was able to separate his emotions from the investigation at such a young age and with no prior experience, which is impressive.

This book focuses on someone who doesn't talk at all, either to defend herself or plead guilty, which was somehow boring and annoying. There are no breakthroughs or investigations, there is just Michael trying to get Marie to talk and Marie refusing to do so.

We never find out what really happened. I wanted answers and instead got an ambiguous ending. The pacing was also slow, which didn't help.

In the end, I'm not sure how I felt about this book. I couldn't even tell if the story included paranormal elements or not. I would have liked some action moments in the story, but that wasn't the case. 

This just disappointed me, it had so much potential, but in the end it was poorly executed.

tw: murder, blood, death, adult/minor relationship, animal death, physical abuse, child abuse, rape, sexism, abandonment, underage alcohol consumption, child death, confinement, death of parent, grief, misogyny,  violence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Physical abuse

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexism

kjn1329's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Stalking, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

vinsynt's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

At first, it reads like a slow-burn psychological thriller in YA style, but bit by bit this story becomes even more sinister.

Somehow Blake makes the ending explicitly predicted by the characters in the novel into a completely unpredictable ending.

Might want to read this one with the lights on; you probably won’t sleep tonight.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

bookishgoob's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A young girl is found at a crime scene with 3 dead bodies drained of blood, yet she is covered head to toe in blood that isn’t her own. Arrested, she says she will only give her confession to the sheriffs son, Michael. A short read from Kendare Blake about murder, betrayal, and the way society looks at young women. 


I didn’t hate this book, but i didn’t love it either. The way they kept calling Marie “fast” made my stomach churn. I understand why they said everything they said about her, but it didn’t make it easier to read. Women are so often villainized before they are victimized and then made villains once more. Men don’t often understand that 15 year old girls are just that, girls. They aren’t fast or seductresses. They are children. Most of this book hurt my heart. A lot of the stuff that was said about Marie was so sickening. It was a sad story and many people say they recommend it for ages 13-15 but i really think it’s 15-17 ish. The dark themes of this book will not be able to be understood by a 13 year old. 

Michael was kind of annoying and I also didn’t like that a lot of the story revolved around him instead of Marie. It’s a story about marie, but it’s ultimately a story about michael growing up i guess? Like a dark coming of age in a way? The ending felt too drawn out but also too rushed. It’s not what I expected, but it was enjoyable to an extent.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Cursing, Self harm, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Body horror, Child death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Confinement, and Death of parent

sarahaf712's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gore, Animal death, Death, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Incest, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Vomit

CW: prosecutorial misconduct and abuse; snakes

sunsetcity's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

bnelson13's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Really great story. I read most of it in a day. It was hard to put down and so so captivating. The ending wasn't really what I wanted, but it was a good ending all the same. I loved the characters of Marie and Michael. Such a good story, I could not say it enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence