Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

216 reviews

_suvi_'s review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was a really tense, yet very interesting read. The author is smart in her way of writing

because in the beginning, I was sure that at least Lauren was just a figment of Ted’s imagination. But the more the story progressed the more I was
convinced that he’s actually Lulu’s kidnapper.

The way the writing instills atmosphere of Ted is just sucking you in, with the unrealiability of his narration, the changing of his surroundings, and the way he and the other characters see the world in different ways. Even though I enjoyed this thriller, there were some parts of it that were so unbelievable that it broke my immersion. And most of the unbelievability came funnily enough fron Dee’s character.

like moving right next to him was already a stretch, but the ability to watch him constantly, how she even found about him etc. Especially the way Lulu died, Dee’s death, even the way Trevor appeared just seemed very haphazard and way too convenient for a book with so much insight and hidden stories

I appreciate that the author did so much research on the topic, but for me personally it just fell a bit from great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

ivy123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This novel has multiple layers and is impossible to describe without spoiling anything. Overall this blends genres between horror, thriller and at times contemporary. Rather than bring focused on scares it centres around greif, regret and the comsequences of trauma. 

Although not what i would usually read I would highly recommend to others to give it a try as i really appreciate how it was written. The authors note as mentioned in other reviews is a must read after you have finished. At times it did seem like too many reveals at once rather than one big reveal but overall a well written and thought provoking book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Pedophilia

doomluz's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I was confused by the cat's perspective and figured early on that it had to be an alter for a character with DID. I didn't get the other twists until later on. This was sad, but interesting and felt like a respectful take on DID. I liked the writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Torture, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicide

Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

clconrad's review against another edition

mysterious sad slow-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? It's complicated

0.5

Dissociative Identity Disorder should not be used as plot device/plot twist. Mental illness is already stigmatized and those who are dealing with it are already misrepresented enough without books like this demonizing them by making the reader think that the person with DID is a monster and a murderer for 90% of the book. It was clear the author had done their research and knew how DID functioned, but accurately representing the facts of the illness while simultaneously presenting the character with the disorder as an unhinged murdering maniac is not responsible story telling and undercuts any credibility they may have gained as a storyteller. 
The message of the book may have been that one should not assume someone is weird or dangerous just because they are mentally ill, but the fact that it’s written in a way that the reader can’t help but assume that, negates the message severely.
I will not be reading anything else by this writer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

stardustvein's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Murder

rochelleisreading's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Stalking, Suicide, Blood, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty

carissa230's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

At the end of Needless street lies a house with boarded up windows and strange things going on inside. 

Ted lives there with his cat Olivia and his daughter who visits sometimes Lauren. Ted drinks a lot and loses time in his days. Olivia loves Ted more than anything and is always there to comfort him and bring him back to reality when he starts walking funny. Lauren loves to play and have fun, but she is always ready to leave and does not like Ted. 

Dee has just moved into the house next door to Ted. She is convinced that he has something to do with her sister's disappearance as a child. She knows something weird is going on, and she is determined to figure it out. She watches day and night for a chance to find her sister. 

This book was full of so many twists and turns. I was never could have guessed where the book was going. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Child death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Grief

tnels4's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, and Suicide

Moderate: Kidnapping, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship

niceonehros's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

While much of the content is troubling, disturbing, and hard, this book was worth the discomfort. I don't want to give anything away, but do make sure you read the Afterword.

susie_bee's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal death, Suicide, and Child death