Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel

25 reviews

madeline29's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.25

Unrelentingly grim and harrowing, I had to put this down a few times to emotionally recover.  The prose is very lyrical and became a little too abstract for me, I found myself skimming paragraphs but I also think this represented well the inner life of the characters. Much of this book felt like being in a dream (or nightmare).
 
I think story is (unfortunately) very true to the lives of women in poverty in rural America and I’m glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Murder, Rape, and Drug abuse

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

I found ON THE SAVAGE SIDE difficult to read, so unflinching in its depiction of poverty and addiction that I read with a clenched stomach, gripped in empathetic pain. But without this level of violence and trauma, this book would be lying to itself, and for that reason, I consider it a winner.

The novel only fell apart for me (and only slightly!) in the repetition of its lyricism. Sometimes I felt like McDaniel was being intentionally opaque, and while it was always beautiful, I occasionally lost interest. But that is just one picky complaint of an otherwise stirring novel. I'm glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Pedophilia, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Car accident, Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Child death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Terminal illness, and Violence

fates_fables_golem's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, and Child abuse

fredrikamarias's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Addiction, Pedophilia, Drug use, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Grief, Gore, and Mental illness

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, and Sexism

trvshbvt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read Betty right before this which was my first introduction to Tiffany McDaniel. I loved Betty so much that I pushed On the Savage Side to the top of my to read list and once again, I am left in awe of Tiffany McDaniel’s storytelling.

This is another book that will stay with me forever. I feel like I know every single character as if I’ve met them in real life. I had no idea addiction played such a large part in this book, which is something that hits close to home. I appreciated the way McDaniel gave these women such detailed and moving backstories, showing that they were so much more than their addictions.

I thought I had a good idea of how the story would end but the actual ending had me audibly say “WHAT” to myself more than once.

An easy 5/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Miscarriage

ember_is_gay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

this was hauntingly beautiful and i want to read it all over again. i am stunned and i don’t think i have the words to describe how i feel about this book. i think this is genuinely one of the best books i have read in a while.

the last few chapters had me so thrown and i just was not expecting that twist. and i was so hopeful for the end, i was so hopeful for arc getting out. but i know that’s not what life is like, i was just wishing and hoping it would be different for her, but of course it couldn’t be.

to all the lost women, i will remember you and think of you often. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Trafficking, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, Child death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Torture, Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Death, Miscarriage, and Murder

onmalsshelf's review

Thanks to the publisher for this review copy. Obviously this one is working for a lot of people, but it is not for me at this time. I may consider picking it up at a different time. 

DNF @ 60%

When I say I tried, I TRIED. 

I’ve been reading this since June 10th (today is September 10th) and I only got to 60%. 

I don’t mind dark books, but this is DARK and bleak - making for a combination that had me putting down my kindle after each chapter. I tried this on Kindle via eGalley as well as audio from Libby. 

While I know that it’s important for authors to inform readers of things that often get forgotten by using fiction, I get concerned when they started using overly descriptive language that seems like it would fit more in a romance novel.  

I wish that she had used the River aspect more because once that was gone, there was no flow. 

I finally set it down once animal neglect was added in because of course the author just has to pile on more dark things. 

I will say, the narrator for this is fantastic. Without the audio, I’m not sure I would have gotten to 60%. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Death of parent, Addiction, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Drug use, Pedophilia, Addiction, Rape, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Police brutality and Miscarriage

Minor: Car accident, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

jaxgirl007's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I pick one word to start my review. For 'On the Savage Side', the word I picked is 'gutted'.

Merriam Webster defines 'gutted' as: to destroy the inside of

This book was such a hard read. The list of trigger warnings is long: sexual abuse, rape, drug abuse, animal cruelty...there's more but I'm a bit stunned after finishing this and so I'm sure I'm missing some of them.

Somehow I was compelled to keep going. The writing definitely runs heavy with the purple prose and I normally don't like that but it worked for me this time. It made me feel like I was experiencing the floating haziness that Arc and the others in the story were experiencing because of their drug use. The extra wordiness did tend to drag the story out a bit long than necessary. The first 3/4 of the book, I was mesmerized; the last part was too much for me. But I also felt like I needed some of the purple prose sections to recover from the more reality based happenings...it became an escape for me just like it was for the characters.

I think what also kept me going was hope: I really did want Arc (and the others) to find a way out of the terrible life she was in and I kept reading hoping she would get there....I was pulling for her to make it. I saw the end coming

her murder

but was still engrossed along the way.

I think it's important to mention that the serial killer/murder aspect of the story is a small part of the plot. While this is inspired by the real-life case of the Chillicothe Six, this is not a story about an investigation into a serial killer. The vast majority of the story is given to Arc, her family and her friends' struggles with addiction and the (100% horrific) impact on their lives.

I have respect for this book and think it is very well-written. I put McDaniel's other book, 'Betty' on my TBR...but not for a while as I will need some time to recover from this one. If you can stomach the subject matter, it is a haunting story that will definitely give a reader a lot to think about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, and Child abuse

cclardo's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is a beautiful, devastating story of addiction, grief, and humanity. Tiffany McDaniel is masterful with her lyrical prose and delicate unspooling of the plot. 
This book is not for everyone. Check content warnings and know that portions of this book are like a gut punch. 
I also want to note that I have seen this marketed in the mystery/thriller category and that is a misrepresentation of the book. If you are looking for a heartbreaking exploration of self and survival, read this book. If you are looking for a mystery/thriller about a serial killer and a potential victim, this will not scratch that itch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape, Animal cruelty, and Violence

Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy