Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

61 reviews

readalongwithyasmin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book was much darker than I expected. The world is dark enough for me. It started slowly but picked up after the second half. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

book_goddess's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.5

This book was pretty emotional.
If you’re sensitive with abusive material I wouldn’t suggest reading it. I enjoyed it though. Not a bad book. I’m not sure if I’d call it a thriller though… more of a mystery in my opinion.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Child death

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

kwolfie's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

This book did nothing to help my paranoia about being a woman in our society, but still I couldn't put it down. Most thrillers center around people who are already dead, but this one focuses on the return of somebody who was essentially presumed dead after 2 years, and I loved this angle. It was deeply dark and very depressing, but also enthralling. It appealed to the psych student side of me leaning into the "why" behind the events and people in the book. I wish it leaned into this more, but I know that wouldn't be appealing to a wider audience, so I get it. The first 50 or so pages didn't get me, but once I got past that I read the rest of the book in 1 day, thinking about it on my drive home. I truly did not see the twists coming. Reading TWs is SO important for this book though if you need.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

meaghankmc's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

For the most part, I could not predict where this book was going next and thoroughly enjoyed the journey it took me on. I was hooked, and Ellie and Chelsey were both very interesting characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy

alexiusr's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Murder

sasoif's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

Ellie Black turns up after 2 years missing and the story unfolds as to where she was, who took her, and how they found her. I had a few theories along the way as to who took her,

the craziest being Noah and the most likely being the Sergeant

, but I was shocked by the ending nevertheless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and Abortion

Minor: Rape and Death of parent

tgamese's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Kidnapping

astifelreads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“‘My Name?’ Who is she? What has she become? A vessel. To be carried. To be kept. To be filled.”

This novel by Emiko Jean is a mystery thriller about the reappearance of a missing teen 2 years after her abduction. The case lands in the hands of female detective Chelsey Calhoun who has her own demons and past to sort out. When Ellie reappears Chelsey is determined to bring to justice whoever did this to Ellie, in part because of the burden she carries over her sisters disappearance as a teenager. The problem is though Ellie won’t talk and Chelsea has to work hard to unravel the story with little help. 

“The truth is these people are not strangers. They are the men you sleep with, the you work with, the men you raise. I wish this wasn’t what it means to be female - it is not a matter of if something will happen but when.”

This book had me on the edge of the couch. My husband teased me as I flipped page after page glued to the story. As a lover of crime dramas this story sucked me in and I just had to know who did it. But I loved that it wasn’t just the search for the kidnapper but also glimpses of the life the characters lead. We get to see the cracks in Chelsea’s marriage. The mistakes Ellie’s parents made. Each of them trying to come to terms with the direction their lives have gone. It was a race to the end for me on this one and the reveal definitely caught me by surprise. If your looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your chair then I’d recommend this one but be warned you might also find yourself angry at what can happen to girls and women. 

“A careful calculation multiplied by parents wealth, then divided by race and religion. The poorer and darker the girl, the less funds the department allocated to her rescue - after all, the public is less outraged when those type of girls go missing. Maybe Ellie’s mom could sense it - some daughters were worth more than others.”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death and Death of parent

brokevendetta's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Gaslighting