Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

11 reviews

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

Emma in The Night by Wendy Walker was captivating from the first page to the last. The second I saw the cover I just knew I was going to love this story, but it ended up being even twistier than I expected. I really loved the characters and thought the way the story flowed was great. This story has fantastic pacing and in a rare case, I actually loved the investigative angle. I think because it was mixed with the point of view Cass brought forth, it made this more interesting than a straight detective novel. I think that this suspense novel is definitely a must read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Grief, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship

gondorgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Confinement, Child abuse, Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, and Stalking

issamay's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

dez02's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Spoilers ahead - 

This book was a ride. I'm one who can usually predict what is going to happen next given the context clues and foreshadowing. However, with this book, I was completely under Cass' spell. As I read, I believed that she was innocent, that she had no part in the chaos that took place. And the more I read, the more I realized how wrong I was.

I was shocked to learn that it was Cass who had been pregnant and not Emma. I figured Emma was dead but I didn't think her parents had killed her. I thought the obvious, that her abductors had killed her, but of course she was never abducted.

I'm left wondering what Cass made of herself. What happened to the rest of her family. Did her and her daughter live a normal life after those events?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of its twists and turns. It was relatable (at least to me), the characters were clearly deep and developed. They felt like real people with real problems. I also enjoyed the detailed descriptions of everything and the portrayal of mental illnesses within the book. I appreciate that the author took her time to speak with actual agents and others before writing this book. 

Overall I would say this book was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Murder, Kidnapping, and Emotional abuse

greenglass67's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad fast-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

This book was fantastic! It kept me interested every step of the way. I wouldn't say that it's a thriller so much, it's more about the psychology of the main character and her family, but there is still a compelling mystery at the heart of the story. The narration is fascinating and it flips everything around on you when you aren't expecting it. Even the parts you think you can predict come out much different than you expect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, Murder, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Gaslighting

Minor: Infertility, Grief, Incest, and Rape

_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Cursing, Infidelity, Death, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Sexual content, Bullying, Blood, Dysphoria, Confinement, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse

lucychafia's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Really good book👍

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Kidnapping

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, and Incest

Minor: Incest

fifireads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Rape

adrianoreads's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was quite possibly one of the best mystery/thriller/crime books I have read. A tense build up, trying to put pieces together, and trying to figure out who is telling the truth. The twist and turns keep you guessing right until the end. If you liked this book you should definitely watch Cruel Summer on Hulu!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault