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jenny_d's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death
liurhonda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pros: the set up of the novel and pacing allows for a page turner mystery/thriller. Has some good plot twists, and I liked the range of characters included.
Cons: It's ironic how the main messaging (or what it attempts to message) of this book is that female victims are only remembered or highlighted by male perpetrators, while doing so the whole book by he vily centering Ansel/the male perp. We stay in his perspective a lot and the female characters are all quite enamored with him or heavily impacted by him. It makes sense logically but doesn't work with this type of messaging that only comes in at the end, very explicitly. Lots of tell and not show.
Also peppered in the end is a weak, again explicit, critique of the injustice in the prison industrial complex in America. While true, doesn't do anything new, nor does it contribute to the overall messaging of the book. Comes across a bit sloppy and not very impactful. Uses abstract flowery language to describe emotions, atmospheres, etc. too much for my taste. Characters also felt a bit hollow.
(A bit of a spoiler: I also wonder if how Ansel heard voices and how he 'pretends' much of his life alludes to any mental illness? Maybe I missed some implications, but would have loved to see this theme explored a bit more. Or at least this thread wrapped up)
TLDR; Ultimately the messaging/themes of this book where sloppy (some where very ambiguous which I did not like but that's a personal preference) but serves as a good spooky mystery page turner.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Addiction, Stalking, Suicide, Abandonment, Child death, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
ana_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
★★★★★ 5/5 stars
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, Death, Abandonment, and Violence
music_girl84's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Murder, and Violence
ellenisntcool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m struggling to know how to rate this, so I’ll come back later but or right now I’m on the fence about giving it anything higher than a three as the ending felt off especially with one of the women spoken about almost forgiving him, and we don’t get to see why.
(As I’m writing I’ll probably give it that three anyway.)
Edit: dropping my rating to two stars, the more I think and talk about this book the more I dislike it.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Pregnancy and Grief
vanessa_black_03's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Shows us how circumstances lend to our making but justifying anything you do with it and not acknoledging a problem within you is all that makes the difference
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Stalking
Minor: Car accident
shostakofish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book does a fantastic job avoiding those pitfalls. It takes a nuanced look at a killer and the women in his life including those he kills. Every single one is shown as a full human, with their first person perspectives allowing for depth and introspection. Each character is biased in their own realistic ways but the book as a whole takes a determinately neutral stance on the issues it brings up, allowing the reader to form their own opinions on things like male violence, the prison system and death penalty, mental health support, and media for murder.
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Death, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Stalking, and Murder
srutiramesh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment
bexgil's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death