Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

4 reviews

notlikethebeer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Having read (and adored) The Appeal, I was really excited to read this one - and I don't think it disappointed!! It was a fast-paced, super twisty page-turner that I found really difficult to put down (and therefore raced through). I do think that it was hindered by there being a LOT of characters, and I found it really hard to keep track of who was who, which isn't helped by the epistolary format that puts distance between the reader and each character. The format also made it hard to follow at times and a bit confusing, especially towards the end. However, I also liked the way that various elements came to light more slowly, and that things you thought were/weren't important were later revealed to be quite the opposite... I also really liked that the characters were quite complex, and at times there were some good critiques of true crime and the lengths some will go to. I thought the ending was fantastic, there were some bold decisions made by the author but personally I loved them!!! More than anything, I absolutely loved the dedication to Jill Dando, Michelle McNamara and Lyra McKee, as well as the brief explanation in the acknowledgements.
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cdbert's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

Listened on audiobook. Enjoyed that.

Good book, read right after Ecos book, Foucault's Pendulum, and enjoyed those back to back. They certainly support each other!
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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

⚠️ CW: murder, death, suicide, grooming, child abuse, torture and drug use ⚠️ Wow what a mind-blowing read! I stayed up all night just to binge this book. This book follows Amanda Bailey, a true crime author, who is researching the Alperton Angels for her upcoming book, a cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the antichrist and that they were on a divine mission to kill the baby. However she came to her senses and alerted the police before any harm could come to the baby and the angels committed suicide rather than stand trial whilst she and her baby disappeared into the care system. Now nearly two decades later Amanda starts her book and finds that the baby is due to turn 18 and can finally be interviewed, but first they need to be traced. If she can locate the baby this will be the flagship moment of her career but the deeper she digs the more she discovers dark and strange forces surround this story and if she continues digging it could be her last. This book was so incredibly gripping and I could not put it down! It's so hard to review without spoilers but it was perfect. I love seeing mixed media in books but this was my first time reading a book that solely contained mixed media to tell the story. It felt like the most intense murder mystery game while reading all of the documents and information surrounding this in depth and captivating read so you can make your own conclusions as you read. Overall, I highly recommend this book and not only is it my favourite read so far this year but I think it will easily make my top 10 at the end of the year too!
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feebles640's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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