Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Penance by Eliza Clark

60 reviews

braggsy's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Toxic relationship, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Sexual assault, Torture, and Gun violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Suicide, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual content, Racism, and Religious bigotry

shelfofunread's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Child death, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Cursing, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death of parent, Biphobia, Self harm, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Fatphobia, and Classism

chl0reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Ableism, Alcohol, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Body shaming, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, and Self harm

geraldinerowe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I haven't read Boy Parts so this was my first taste of Eliza Clark's writing and I found it outstanding. The whole thing messes with your head as the vast majority of Penance is a fictional book written by a fictional author, but you're also aware from the beginning that this fictional book in this fictional world might not be entirely true. In all this, Eliza Clark manages to make adolescents' speech and writing styles not just understandable but compelling. I think the unreliable narrator is made a little too much of and is there to add an extra dimension to the book's criticism of True Crime, but it would have been less of a book without it. I'm off out to buy Boy Parts now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Death, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, and Gun violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Racism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

icarusandthesun's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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

4.0

eliza clark is a bloody genius.
even though i'm not into true crime, not in the slightest actually, she was able to draw me in completely. this was a disturbing read, but also so much fun. from relatable sims 4 references to badly written school shooter fanfic, this had everything to properly entertain you.
 
it explored the depths of the internet and school life from the perspectives of a couple of very different people from very different backgrounds.
it was perfect. (but perhaps i'm also just a little biased because most of the references in this book just made so much sense to me as someone who used to spend - and still does - way too much time on the internet). an incredible read.

literally the only thing i didn't quite enjoy was the length and extensity. there were lots of chapters about the history of crow-on-sea and it was necessary, of course, and didn't feel like it was irrelevant at all, but personally, i just found that a little boring.

also, as i've mentioned before, i'm not really into true crime, so this was already a little bit of meh-territory you know.

but f- it, i still had a blast.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, Alcohol, Child death, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Drug use, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Rape

fictionalsarah's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Rape, Death, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Suicide

Minor: Vomit and Self harm

milesjmoran's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence

jamieleepilk's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Bullying, Kidnapping, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

sleaterkenneth's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Like Devil House but worse. I had similar issues with Boy Parts and I think they both just need a stronger edit, granted this is an ARC but there were parts where the same thing was repeated with only slight alterations in the same paragraph. Overall... I think it lacks empathy? A decent narrator? I understand that the narrator is unreliable but that doesn't excuse the complete lack of emotional investment and teenage slang that doesn't fit the time period/era of tumblr. I did tear through it and was interested in how everything would shake out so that has to count for something, begging everyone to read Devil House yet again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Torture, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, and Death of parent

lbhreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

this one took me back to my old ways - reading a 400+ page book in 2 days 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Death, Torture, Alcohol, Bullying, Gun violence, Cursing, Violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Classism