Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

13 reviews

sariereads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Infertility, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pregnancy, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Police brutality

anniesbookpicks's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault

trippalli's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

A sad tense and dark journey into the experiences of a teen kidnapped with other teens and a girl and their efforts to survive and escape. Really horrific and sad, a dark tale of abuse, psychological terror and Fighting for survival despite being beaten, raped and watching other girls get killed violently. A story of survival, police brutality, teen resilience and the terrifying world of abuse and damaged violent people gaslighting and brainwashing victims.

Not for the feint of heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Confinement, Animal death, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Gun violence, and Infertility

mamawantsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexual assault, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexism, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Pregnancy

syellico's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, and Death

burnourhistory's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Death

shesflippinpages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Rape, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death of parent, and Police brutality

Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Cancer, and Bullying

elissas_reads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

This was an excellent, fast paced thriller that pulled me in right away. I felt the dual perspectives drove the story forward in meaningful ways, and there were some truly shocking surprises. It was a lot sadder than I expected and left me feeling emotional about many of the characters in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Child death and Death

Minor: Death of parent

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

It's an excellent thriller - I couldn't put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cursing, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Torture, Alcohol, Body shaming, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Gore, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, and Violence

Minor: Miscarriage, Cancer, and Pregnancy

hannahleebibliophile's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

In the new thriller The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean, teenager Elizabeth Black makes a shocking reappearance two years after being mysteriously abducted. Ellie, as she is known to her friends and family, is clearly ravaged by the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder; she sleeps in a crawl space instead of her bed at night, refuses to bathe or cut her long, matted hair, and is repulsed by physical contact with other people. Little by little, readers learn the horrifying story of her capture and forcible induction into a repressive cult on a deserted, rural property. Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, Detective Chelsey Calhoun works against the clock to find Ellie’s captors. She has worked the case since the earliest days of her career, motivated by a tragedy involving her sister during their teenage years. But as more information about other victims comes to light, Chelsey begins to suspect that Ellie herself is hiding something sinister. 

To me, this book is a masterpiece. As a voracious reader of mysteries and thrillers, I repeatedly thought I had this book’s plot and its characters’ motivations all figured out — and every time, I was wrong. Author Emiko Jean managed to keep me guessing until the last pages. This book touched on some incredibly dark but important topics:  survivor’s guilt and the freeze and fawn responses are only a few. I highly recommend this book. The opinions expressed in this review are mine. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for access to the advanced reader copy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Rape, Murder, Violence, Trafficking, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Medical content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Excrement, Toxic friendship, and Grief

Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy, and Abandonment