Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Penance by Eliza Clark

111 reviews

notlikethebeer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.25

This was a quick and compulsive read - not quite one sitting, but very nearly! I really enjoyed the premise, both exploring the 'true'-ness of true crime, and the focus on the potential toxicity of teenage girls and their groups. However, I don't necessarily feel that it succeeded. The 'interview' at the end felt very tacked on, it would have been much better I think to have had explorations of that ilk throughout the book. As such, I wouldn't personally consider there to have been any great twist? I don't think I'll really remember reading this in a year or even a few months, which is a shame because it had some real promise.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Torture, Child death, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

j_squaredd's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Blood, Gore, and Torture

Minor: Vomit

maritesgrace's review against another edition

dark reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, and Child death

whoisrois's review against another edition

challenging dark funny sad tense slow-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

books written for me specifically 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Ableism, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcohol, Racism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Islamophobia, Medical content, Rape, Fatphobia, Classism, and Medical trauma

carbs666's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I really like a book that bends the concept of truth and this book does an excellent job with that! The "true" account of a functional murder written by a scummy ex-journalist, the central narrative of the brutal murder of a high school girl by her classmates is bookended by fictional publishers notes and news articles describing how the narrator may have made it all - or most of it - up. There's a lot going on in this book and Clark does a great job if mimicking the narrative non-fiction true crim writing style, which occasionally meanders into historical sidebars that aren't totally relevant but add a lot of colour. Clark also display such a keen and detailed understanding of the experience of being a teenage girl throughout this book - the romantic answer sexual fumbling, the reversals of fortune, all of it. Strongly recommend if you like true crime or stories about people with questionable morals.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Alcohol

laran_s's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Torture, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Vomit, Suicide, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Ableism, and Classism

elenakperez's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

As someone who was a young girl on Tumblr in 2012 and in middle/high school in the 2010s, much of this book is familiar to me because of the online spaces I was tangential to at those times. Also, as a person who consumed true crime via podcasts and documentaries recently, this book has changed the way I consume true crime. This book has been eye-opening and really made me reflect on my own consumption of true crime as well as how our society engages with what is now an industry that profits off of retelling the oftentimes unsanctioned stories of peoples' real and very personal tragedies. I would recommend this book to everyone I know.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Mental illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

laurevanaerschot's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Torture, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

charliedon's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

A mixed media book presented as a non-fiction publication by a disgraced journalist. Penance looks into the modern fascination with true crime and it’s affect on young impressionable people. The presentation of the book is very well done leading to a discussion as to the intentions of the ‘author’ which is then confirmed of by the end of the book. A good read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Mass/school shootings, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Torture, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Suicide, Self harm, and Police brutality

nicole__reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A gruesome, extraordinary novel that delivers a multifaceted critique of the pop culture true crime obsession, with a story that pulls you in and requires reflecting on your own engagement with it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Gun violence, Self harm, Child death, and Torture

Moderate: Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, and Sexual assault