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kingcrookback's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Is this one of those books I'm going to think about for the rest of my life? No. But I really enjoyed this. It pulled me out the reading slump I could feel myself sliding into. The way Adams structured the tension within scenes and chapter to chapter kept pulling me along for the ride, it was almost beyond me to put my e-reader down. I will admit that the number of times where something that was planted in an earlier scene paid off perfectly later does strain credulity sometimes. But honestly, I'd rather that than twists thrown in for shock value, so I didn't mind all that much.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Trafficking, Death of parent, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, and Vomit
xlipkins's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death of parent, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Terminal illness, and Trafficking
saraavowlerr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
misscarlaxox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
kat_rowlen's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Body horror, Torture, Cancer, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Vomit and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Grief, and Car accident
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
We find out who the perpetrator(s) is/are pretty quickly which to me wasn't a surprise. The person revealed themsleves earlier but the main character just didn't pick up on the dialogue.
Also, the author has a tendecy to utilize plot points only when they're convenient for the story to either move the plot along or to enhance the stakes rather than having the plot points make sense.
For example, we're told they're in a blizzard, but when the characters would go outside there's rarely any mention of them being affected the gushing winds pulling them back or suffering from frost bite or them shivering at all.
Another example is how the abducted child, Jay, was portrayed. She has Addison's disease and is told that extreme stressful situations can indirectly lead to her death. But this element is only utilize when the author wants to raise the stakes because when Darby ultimately finds her way to Jay she is unbelievably calm. And she remains calm in most of the situations the main character encounters. Not once did she shed tears or cry hysterically. I thought this was deliberate and that the author was gonna reveal some big twist that the girl was in on it too or something, but no, it's just poor writing.
Also, I found the use of racial slurs in this book to be so unnecessary. As well as the potential incest/molestation and animal cruelty. Like we get the main perpetrator is a reprehensible psychotic human being, but I think we established that the moment it's revealed that they sex traffick young girls and don't care. All that other stuff wasn't just unnecessary icing an already drenched cake.
Also, the ending felt kinda ambiguous to me, but maybe I just looked too much into it. I'm glad I read it so I can assuage my curiosity so I know to never pick it up again. Don't think I'll ever read anything this author writes. It just wasn't for me.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Animal cruelty, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Vomit
weird_but_fucking_beautiful'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Medical content, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Vomit
Minor: Grief and Emotional abuse
ellisofia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Body horror, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Police brutality
violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Pedophilia, Medical content, Terminal illness, Torture, Trafficking, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Animal death, Gore, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Gun violence, Murder, and Vomit
lucimolri's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, and Trafficking