Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Penance by Eliza Clark

63 reviews

dev921's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Classism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Animal death, Fatphobia, Blood, Drug use, and Cursing

amanda25's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Grief and Kidnapping

sarahrosebooknook's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was interestingly done as it modeled a true crime documentary. The amount of things that I learned about teens and the depths of the internet make me really afraid for my kids in the future. I probably would have rates it a 4.5 but the last 50 pages or so are packed with so many trigger warnings. It left me with a knot in my stomach. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Pedophilia, Drug use, Rape, Animal death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Violence

aloe_v's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The blurring between fiction and non-fiction was quite trippy when reading the book,

and given the ending guardian interview, within the fiction, which accuses the in-book author of blurring fiction and non-fiction, I realise now the interesting parallels there between the fictional readers and real readers.

It was also interesting that, as I read, I thought it was actually a male author because of the in-book author, and only reading the acknowledgements did i realise it was not. This was another interesting thing that "caught me", as I'd felt a bit uncertain about a male writing about teenage female relationships, and that it was a bit infantilising/dismissive at times, and I realise now, that was likely intentional on the real authors part - or at least, thats my intepretation.

Reading time 5h54m.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Torture, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Self harm, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

sneha_sarcar's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Mass/school shootings, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

noshinbean's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Murder, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Grief, Alcohol, Classism, Rape, and Torture

whatlexysaid's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Alcohol, Murder, Violence, Drug use, Cursing, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Mass/school shootings, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Torture, and Child death

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Racism, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, Murder, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Sexual assault, Biphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Vomit, Ableism, Suicide, Pedophilia, and Incest

Minor: Self harm and Eating disorder

chronicacademia's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An incredible, uncomfortable, horrifying dissection of the true crime genre and its “fandoms.” A must read for anyone who consumes true crime. 

Adding a content warning for necrophilia as well as the content warnings listed below. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Incest, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content

sarah984's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.0

This book was fine, it captured the voices of the teens and (most of) the internet culture of the era really well, but I do think it fell into its own trap a bit in over focusing on the perpetrators without a lot of self awareness, and a few things about the internet culture of the time are inaccurate in a way that annoyed me (especially the assertion about ao3 because I think the truth actually adds to the book's point). The twist is so obvious from pretty much the beginning that the epilogue feels like a joke.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Body shaming, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Medical content

Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Drug use, Racism, Eating disorder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Confinement