Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Penance by Eliza Clark

133 reviews

notlikethebeer's review against another edition

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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.
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j_squaredd's review against another edition

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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

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cpbindel's review against another edition

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

4.25

So many twists in this true crime fandom, cancel culture-landmined investigation into an otherwise sleepy seaside British town. Who is socially in/out is seemingly more terrifying than the many ghost and witch stories that haunt the beaches. And who has the authority to tell what exactly went down? 

The story lagged for me about 4/5ths in, but the many forms (blogs and message threads, podcasts, interviews, narratives and newspaper clippings) kept me interested. A sad story with little respite.
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jesstaurant's review against another edition

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

3.75

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naturally's review against another edition

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

5.0

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carmina_r's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-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

4.0

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elenakperez's review against another edition

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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.
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quantumponies's review against another edition

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4.0

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darlingsterns's review against another edition

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5.0

5 ★ raising my rating to five stars because i read this in july and think about it every day


content warnings: Spoiler arson, murder, torture, blood/gore, sexual assault (mentions), pedophilia, rape of a child (past), school shooting/massacre (past), necrophilia (mentions), bullying (graphic), body shaming, humiliation, toxic relationships/friendships, manipulation, violence, cutting, self-harm jokes, Holocaust joke, homophobia/lesbophobia, homophobic slurs, ableist language, racism, classism, outing, abortion (mention), miscarriage (mention), drug/alcohol use 
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nicole__reads's review against another edition

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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.
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