Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Institute by Stephen King

67 reviews

fuathling's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

King knows how to write a story. Fleshy characters. Tasty plot. And a good full-circle roundhouse kick to the chest at the end. Just the way I like it. Mwah. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Torture, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs

pkc's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I finished this in conjunction with the audiobook, reading the last 200+ pages in my physical copy and…King remains one of my favourite authors BUT this just wasn’t it for me. It felt a bit like he’d bitten off more than he could chew and the end was rushed with a resolution that could be described as shaky at best. I rated it as highly as I did because the final set piece was epic. It either needed to be expanded or drastically cut back. I can’t decide which. I will say though. The authors note at the end of my copy brought a wee tear to my eye.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, Confinement, Cursing, Self harm, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Gaslighting, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Slavery

book_s1ut's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Bullying, Child death, Torture, Classism, Alcohol, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Confinement

secre's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? No

4.5

The Institute is a slow burn, creepy, and unnerving novel. It's not terrifying or gory or over the top in the way some of King's horror books can go, but it's got a quiet horror for the fact that it's fairly realistic. The supernatural elements come in the telekinetic and telepathic powers of the children depicted, but the abuse of power and conditions in which the kids are kept is something you can see happening.

The novel opens with Tim Jamieson taking a chance and hitch hiking after losing his job as a police officer, only to find himself in the small town of DuPray. His journey stalls and he takes on the job of Night Knocker for the small little town. For a while I wondered what this had to do with the main plot, but before too long we switch to Luke, a genius child with a small parlour trick gift for telekenesis. That small gift however is enough to get him noticed and he's kidnapped in the middle of the night, his parents killed. He finds himself in the Institute, with a handful of other kids with similar powers. Those in the Front Half endure tests and shots, but they all know it's better than what happens in the Back Half. Yet it is the Back Half that they are all destined for in fairly short order.

This is a book that has taken me a long time to read, despite being relatively short for a King novel - just shy of 600 pages instead of well over a thousand. A lot of the horror is in the nitty gritty details of the children's lives. The tests and abuses and humiliations heaped upon them, even as those who behave earn tokens and those who don't endure punishments. The Institute itself is brought to life with it's bleakness and often petty cruelty. It's a slow build, where the tension is built throughout the novel as the cruelties ramp up and the stakes - always high - become more visible and tangible.

It's fairly tame for a King novel, yet it's disturbing in a creepy, realistic way rather than body horror and massacres. It's more of a YA novel than some other King novels I've read, yet it's also horrifying on a psychological level. He brings the tortures and abuses to live, even as the adults perpetrating the horror continue to justify their actions all the way to the very end.

All in all, a solid success for King here and one that reminds me how much I enjoy some - if not all - of his work. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Murder, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, and Suicide

Minor: Terminal illness

jurassicspark's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Trafficking, Murder, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Torture, and Gun violence

Minor: Alcohol and Blood

latham9's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Gun violence, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, and Kidnapping

Minor: Bullying, Racial slurs, Ableism, and Body shaming

horrorhomebodies's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.25

Stephen King’s ability to write a simple sentence with a plethora of meaning is absolutely brilliant. I gave 4.25 stars because the ending was a bit lackluster for my taste, but still warmed my heart enough to earn the .25 of the rating. I wish there had been a bit more of an insight into the characters backstory, but overall it was an enticing read. It really made me think beyond the scope of fiction, which is a large part of why I loved The Institute. Well worth the read in my opinion!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Violence, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Suicide

mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child death, Suicide, Murder, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Death of parent, Torture, and Child abuse

Moderate: Terminal illness

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Body horror, Medical trauma, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Death of parent