Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

7 reviews

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Ableism, Self harm, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Vomit, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Pregnancy

aimesericks's review against another edition

dark

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

What the FUCK. Best read of the year so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Sexism, Confinement, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Rape, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Suicide and Drug use

tedworm's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-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

I listened to this as an audiobook and finished it over two days of commutes and lunch breaks. Couldn't put it down! I liked the pacing and I found Sally hugely endearing, but I don't quite feel like it stuck the landing for me. Maybe I'm just not crimebrained enough but I wonder if I would have preferred this story as a novella purely about Sally, without Peter's POV chapters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Medical content, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Death, and Sexual violence

rosamund4096's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

It took me a little while to get in to this book but soon I was gripped and couldn't put it down. I found the ending a bit unsatisfying, I would have liked a bit more time to see the impact of the book's resolution on the different characters.

I found Peters arc a bit frustrating, at times he seemed totally lucid and in touch with what was right and wrong, which was hard to believe as it wasn't clear what had changed to alter his thinking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Violence, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Torture

julsilv's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

This book was trauma porn basically. Every time I was like wow that sounds like the most traumatic horrible thing ever, it just kept getting more intense/worse. So, huge trigger warning for abduction, sexual abuse, rape, and violence. 

The hook of the book, where sally burns her father in the beginning, literally almost has nothing to do with the rest of it. It’s so crazy. The book takes a while to pick up in the beginning but after Part II begins it gets a lot more complex and interesting. 

There were some things about this book that are predictable and some that aren’t at all, but it was a fast enough read with enough happening to be really engrossing. 

Great book club book, honestly a lot of questions popped up for discussion about ethics, morals and the line between good and bad, along with themes of what it means to be related to someone and how similar or different you might be from your blood relatives. 

Overall, if you want something dark but a quick read that has some twists, then this could be a great book for you. 

Was content with the ending (that’s all I’ll say without giving it away). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

knit_the_resistance's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

Everything about the book is gripping, upsetting, and unsettling... Until the last 4 paragraphs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Death, Blood, Vomit, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Racism, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence

kitty03's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Self harm, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Car accident, and Rape