Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Penance by Eliza Clark

141 reviews

magicalgirlmel's review

mysterious 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

Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia

em815ily's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Violence, Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming

tessa_specchio's review

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

woah 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Bullying, Torture, Death, Murder, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Homophobia, Gore, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Grief, Vomit, Classism, and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Police brutality, Eating disorder, Racism, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping

nialystic's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Child death, Toxic friendship, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Torture, Classism, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Self harm, Stalking, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, and Outing

florenceassetto's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

i really liked this one! part of me wishes it was not read during exam season but it is also the only thing that has kept me sane(ish) so i have to be thankful! the speculative aspect of the book in it's entirety is something i found really interesting and i REALLY enjoyed the messaging and commentary it does on the real world - i find it particularly interesting and especially well delivered. this is almost definitely a book that is going to haunt me for a while but for all the best reasons, most definitely a read i would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Child death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Vomit

robert_schreiner's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Torture

sophiaroesler's review

challenging dark tense

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Suicide

notlikethebeer's review

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.25

This was a quick and compulsive read - not quite one sitting, but very nearly! I really enjoyed the premise, both exploring the 'true'-ness of true crime, and the focus on the potential toxicity of teenage girls and their groups. However, I don't necessarily feel that it succeeded. The 'interview' at the end felt very tacked on, it would have been much better I think to have had explorations of that ilk throughout the book. As such, I wouldn't personally consider there to have been any great twist? I don't think I'll really remember reading this in a year or even a few months, which is a shame because it had some real promise.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Torture, Child death, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

j_squaredd's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Blood, Gore, and Torture

Minor: Vomit

will_meringue's review against another edition

challenging dark

5.0

viscerally dragged me back to the experience of being 15/16 in 2016. I've never seen the unique horror of online fandom portrayed so well - dark and pathetic and funny and overwhelming. The frame narrative and multimedia aspects really dig into the tangle of truth and perspective and projection and entertainment - after all, was I not 'entertained' by 'Alec Z. Carelli's' fictional presentation of 'emotional truth'? Did I not laugh reading Dolly's cringey creeker fanfiction? Did I not feel like I shouldn't be reading the horrific description of Joni's death at the opening of the novel - and then read it anyway? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape