Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Girl Gone Missing by Marcie R. Rendon

8 reviews

maddamn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Another installment in the Cash Blackbear series. Just as heartbreaking as the first, if not a bit more so. Cash shows such strength and resilience. The author creates such a powerful story in a world exactly like ours, flaws and all. Pay attention to TWs with this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Body horror, Trafficking, War, Abandonment, Racism, Sexual violence, and Rape

chatty_cath's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexual violence

amberk032's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Trafficking

Moderate: Confinement and Drug use

Minor: Child abuse

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

As a noir-lover, I immediately recognize Rendon's style: staccato sentences that build a world both viscerally real and almost claustrophobic through relentless layering of details calls to mind the best works of Chandler and Hammett. But unlike those authors' stoic white male protagonists, Rendon's Cash Blackbear is a study in protective dissociation. She detaches from her emotions because, historically, her life has sucked, and feeling and expressing emotions has led to nothing but disaster. Rendon's is a classic style indelibly informed by Cash's time, place, and identity. And, oh yeah, there's a mystery, but I read this series for Cash and her world; the mystery is almost immaterial.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Confinement, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Racism, Violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Sexual content, Mental illness, Blood, Drug use, Vomit, and Trafficking

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and War

raineedayreader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Drug abuse and Alcoholism

awebofstories's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

About halfway through this book, I realized this series would be about watching an author grow.

In the first novel, Murder on the Red River, I loved Rendon's character of Cash Blackbear and the descriptions of Cash's life and challenges, but I felt the mystery element fell very short.  In this book, we still get more of Cash's complex life; this time, much time is spent on the after-effects of trauma, and the mystery element is better.  It's not great, but it's better.

Unlike in the first book, I was more invested in the mystery.  Instead of a murder to be solved, Cash is asked to help find out what happened to a missing girl in one of her classes.  Cash does some detective work, but more time is spent on her prophetic dreams.  Ultimately, though, Cash doesn't exactly "solve" the case.

We also are introduced to Cash's brother, Mo.  I wish we had gotten to know him better, but I wasn't completely sure what his importance was in this story.  However, Mo's presence seemed to minimize Sheriff Wheaton's role.  I wish we had more of Wheaton, as his relationship with Cash was a highlight of the first book.
 
While this book was an improvement from the first book, it still wasn't quite what I wanted.  However, there is still much here to be admired, and the improvement in the series makes me hopeful for the next book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Rape

carolynkwolff's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Racism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Drug use and Rape

djreads's review

dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Racial slurs