Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

28 reviews

hybridhavoc's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This was a decent read. Of Blake Crouch's works that I've read so far, this one reads the most like it was written for film. I think a film adaptation would be pretty straightforward. Probably wouldn't be an entirely bad movie.

With that said, there's not much new ground covered here really. Nothing about this is offensive I don't think.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Gun violence, Murder, and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident, Confinement, Violence, and Grief

ababytapir's review

hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abandonment, Dementia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Body horror, Medical content, and Suicide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, War, and Terminal illness

neurosalmon's review

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

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

4.25

I do think this counts as a very important read, but I worry it’s too inaccessible 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Blood, War, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, and Murder

luminescify's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

I’m not even sure how I feel about this yet. Crouch’s books make me stressed, angry, terrified, depressed, happy; a whole slew of emotions which is appropriate because the crux of this book is about just that.

I love his books because they hurt my brain they’re so well written and researched. This one was no different. I was constantly having to look things up and the field of genetics is so foreign, but was fascinating to read about.

My one request…Blake - can you please stop writing such loving and wholesome families for your characters and then tearing them from said families? My heart can only take so much and these people deserve happy endings.

This one will stay with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

claire_perry20's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Written in a way that just shows off how the author researched genetics to write. I have a biology degree with a focus in genetics and the description of specific genes and/or the way genes function is unnecessary. I like the general idea of the story, it was pretty cool of a concept. Better than average but not good. I’m a woman in STEM (said like the tiktok sound 😂) and I was annoyed at the typical middle age, white protagonist. He felt like all the guys I went to class with, but the protagonist is actually better than everyone because of the upgrade. Glad to see someone else was annoyed with him saying his gastrocnemius and soleus then putting (calf muscles). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicide

lindsayerin's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Murder

Moderate: Torture, Blood, and Medical content

missrhinnan's review

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, and Medical trauma

cady_sass's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

So insanely interesting. Am I a sci fi bitch now? I might be. My only critique is that the ending felt rushed, not to mention super depressing but that’s the nature of dystopian fiction I suppose. I could not put this down and it will definitely be living rent free in my brain for a while 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Death of parent, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, Car accident, Chronic illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Medical trauma

sarahbliss's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Violence, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

inked_in_pages's review

adventurous challenging fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Murder