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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

5 reviews

sausome's review

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dark medium-paced

1.5

 1.5/5 stars - Ugh, idk if I hated this book, or if it all just made me so angry that reading it was an awful experience, or if all the characters were awful, or the fact that there are GRAPHIC and BRUTAL rape scenes in multiples. I ended up swiping past the pages of Emily Engle's POV b/c they were so graphic and horrible. There is also no resolution in this book, so if you need that to feel okay about horrible stories, this is a pass for you! 
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alexisgarcia's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

the more i think about this book, the more mad i get. the only good character in this was ingrid (except for what she did to the young kid (i forgot his name and already returned this to the library)). 

the large amount of detailed descriptions of
rape
were completely unnecessary imo. same thing with the random
animal cruelty which was never explained
so many crazy things happened with exactly 0 explanations
who killed all of the artists, who killed the animals and why, how the nails play into this, how the glass appeared in the clay, etc. i could go on and on
. it left me wondering what the point of including it even was. 

also don’t get me started on the ending. it was so out of left field and unsatisfying. it felt like she couldn’t figure out a way to wrap up all of the different plot points so she decided to go with something that had nothing to do with the entire book. 

i really really liked bloom so this felt like such a letdown. 
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booksinbreweries's review

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

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House (Ballantine) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This book held the perfect combo of thriller and scary ghost story for me. The atmosphere is creepy and haunting and beautiful. The backstory and the main plot beautifully intertwine. The characters are unique and well built, even the ones barely on the page for long. While it will be a VERY tough read for anyone who has been in an abusive relationship, I thought it was very well handled. This is not an experience I’ve had so I cannot speak to how well the topic is covered but I felt it was done tactfully and beautifully.
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nicekweenreads's review against another edition

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dark 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
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

While I can certainly see how this can be a decisive book, I absolutely loved it. 

Pros:
I really liked and related to Sarah, the main character. She is a women who just cut off ties with her manipulative mother and just left an emotionally abusive relationship. Accepted to an artist colony, Sarah is excited to find who is without her ex. However, strange events start occurring the moment she accidentally digs up a woman when trying to dig an area for a kiln. From there she is mysteriously connected to the dead woman, receiving flashbacks to her life, and the horrors that await at the property.

Most of the characters felt real and multidimensional. I could relate to a lot of them in many ways (except the artistic talent). 

I also really liked the feminist perspective this book was written from. It's very refreshing in the horror genre and sadly relatable. 

Another relatable relationship was the "romantic interest".
A lot of books have some hunky, magical man to come in and save the heroine's heart, this isn't it. I love they didn't get together. Right person, wrong time.


Though I'm not normally a fan of historical horror, I thought it was done well.
The historical truth of how easily women were given to asylums added an extra layer of eeriness. The ties between Emily and Sarah served as a great, yet heart breaking parallel. I do wish Emily has a better redemption though.


Cons:
I felt the pacing was a little slow in beginning. We spend a long time with characters that don't really matter much. 

I am positive the nails were supposed to have some bigger conenction but I didn't get it. It was really clear what those who held them besides being randonly possessed.


I also felt the ending was also little rushed and odd, especially when compared to how long the beginning of the book was.
The ex boyfriend showing up at the end in the hotel was so odd. Especially since there was no expalnation if he and Gale were working together.


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jerichamacie's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • 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? It's complicated

2.5

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but the ending really soured it for me. It was such a slow burn then suddenly all the action is crammed into the last 20 pages. A lot of things never make sense or just didn't need to happen at all. 

The eerie woodland gothic vibe was great, the main character was kind of insufferable and judgey. 
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