Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Penance by Eliza Clark

199 reviews

tessa_specchio's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

woah 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, and Kidnapping

nialystic's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Lesbophobia, and Classism

Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Self harm, Stalking, Outing, and Sexual harassment

florenceassetto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

i really liked this one! part of me wishes it was not read during exam season but it is also the only thing that has kept me sane(ish) so i have to be thankful! the speculative aspect of the book in it's entirety is something i found really interesting and i REALLY enjoyed the messaging and commentary it does on the real world - i find it particularly interesting and especially well delivered. this is almost definitely a book that is going to haunt me for a while but for all the best reasons, most definitely a read i would recommend!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Vomit

robert_schreiner's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Torture

sophiaroesler's review against another edition

challenging dark tense

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

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

Minor: Vomit

will_meringue's review against another edition

challenging dark

5.0

viscerally dragged me back to the experience of being 15/16 in 2016. I've never seen the unique horror of online fandom portrayed so well - dark and pathetic and funny and overwhelming. The frame narrative and multimedia aspects really dig into the tangle of truth and perspective and projection and entertainment - after all, was I not 'entertained' by 'Alec Z. Carelli's' fictional presentation of 'emotional truth'? Did I not laugh reading Dolly's cringey creeker fanfiction? Did I not feel like I shouldn't be reading the horrific description of Joni's death at the opening of the novel - and then read it anyway? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape

emmacog's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction and Torture

Minor: Rape

bionicfox666's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail