Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

15 reviews

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Blood

Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism

lordofdisorder's review

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Violence

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Dementia, Excrement, and Vomit

lcronin0815's review

dark slow-paced

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

2.5

I wanted to like this book so much but it just fell a little flat for me and was very middle of the road for me. I thought that writing was find and the pace of the book would have been good if I hadn’t have listened to it on audiobook. The two things that bugged me with this book were the description of Julia’s character, especially when she was younger, and the fact that everyone was some shade of awful. 

First, one of the major take-aways from Julia‘a character is describe as being fat and it is only seen in a negative “Look at her- what a disgusting fat person”. It just seems too much when you have repeated people describing another person, and more specifically a CHILD, as being a disgusting outcast just because of her weight. 

Second- There is a review that does better job explaining this but there isn’t anyone in this book that is victim or villain. There aren’t any middle of the road characters and everyone seems to have a big secret to the point of it being a little forced. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Fatphobia, Violence, Rape, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Homophobia

rbrockett21's review

dark mysterious slow-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

3.0

Having just read the Girl on the Train, I was excited to read Hawkins’s next thriller. However, both as a stand-alone and in comparison to GotT, I felt it was disappointing. After seeing how well she can convey unreliable narration, it seemed like this was written by a less experienced author who was just entering the genre. Honestly, it seemed like this could have been her first work, not GotT. I didn’t feel a deep connection with any of the characters, and the set up left me wondering if there even was a mystery to be solved at all.

I think what got in the way of the potentially good plot was the excessive filler written in from each perspective. There’s leaving clues via different perspectives, and then there’s just spending too much time trying to make something out of nothing.

Though it was a quick read, I wouldn’t say I was madly turning the pages out of suspense. The only time the pace picked up was about 2/3 of the way through, and only briefly. Even in the moments leading up to finding out who the guilty party was, I just wasn’t that invested. And, in my opinion, the answer to whodunnit was very disappointing; it felt like it was supposed to be a twist that just completely missed its mark.

I still intend to read A Slow Burning Fire upon its release to see if it’s on par with GotT, but after Into the Water my excitement has been curbed. Hopefully her next novel will rekindle my appreciation for her writing style.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Rape, Pedophilia, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Vomit, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

heatherneretlis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, and Child death