Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

52 reviews

herperfume's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Outside of a show like "I Survived," rarely are victims the center of true crime stories. And rarely do we follow them in the days, weeks, months, and years afterwards. We don't see how an event ripples through the immediate community of the victim. Bright Young Women does this. It also shines a light on why the families of some missing women don't report them as such. The fact that the author never uses the name of the perpetrator is a powerful move, even if it is obvious who it is supposed to be. Removing his name and focusing on the lives of the victims changes how we think of true crime and it's reporting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

ehoustonmyatt's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

mothie_girlie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting

Minor: Eating disorder

edresbach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

rebeccakoury's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Incest

reverendmix's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Murder

starlit_pathways's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Racism

lollymac's review against another edition

reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Grief

Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

signeskov's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This novel is a great study of (complex) grief, survivor’s guilt, trauma, romantic and platonic love, difficult or absent parenting, and, most interestingly to me, female rage.

Do not take any of these themes lightly. If you are as disturbed by misogyny and violence as any functioning human should be, be prepared to be even further disturbed by this book. So, for this one, beware of the trigger warnings before reading. 

With that in mind, let it be said that Jessica Knoll does not glorify violence against women - herself a survivor, she handles the dark moments with as much care as I imagine one can for a story centralized on the aftermath of surviving a serial killing spree. Specifically, Knoll flips the perspective of a classic crime story on its head, instead working to connect the women and survivors left behind to deal with the trauma of losing a loved one under such horrifying circumstances. 

Conceived and written in a thriller-like pace, the novel is refreshing in its take on the famed Ted Bundy murders. Like Pamela, one of the main characters - an intelligent, brave, bright young woman full of integrity - expresses it, he was merely another man preying on women. A far cry from the charming mastermind the media made him out to be, but rather a man who sought to control and overpower the women in the world that shone brighter than him. A classic case of incel before the word was even conceived, and he was nothing special - there have been and are still many more men like him out there in the world. Scared, disturbed, and unintelligent who lash out their anger at the world through gruesome, unwarranted acts. 

A great and relevant read that provoked female rage in me and an even stronger belief in women’s ability to heal through communication and community. Would recommend others to pick it up, though with care - given the traumatic nature of the story, it will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The book could perhaps have been trimmed a little or still left a couple of loose threads that I perhaps would have liked to have had explored further. It’s a strong 4.25/5 for me at the time being!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

rachelsbookishlife's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment