Reviews tagging 'Death'

Anna O by Matthew Blake

9 reviews

aseel_reads's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.0

Whelp, did not see the final twist at the end, but I did see some of the earlier ones. It got a little confusing, trying to keep all the different bits of evidence together and make the story coherent. It was a pretty cool premise though 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Death, Murder, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

lailajm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

Stunning. So incredible. Perfect for fans of intense psychological thriller. The constant plot twists and surprises were perfect! I read it so fast and couldn’t stop! Hugely recommend for fans of ‘the silent patient’ and other psychological thrillers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Murder, Mental illness, and Suicide

catriona176's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

I feel like I’m in the minority in that I was fully engaged for most of the plot, but then the ending completely lost me. There’s suspension of belief and then there’s that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

drybay's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I was hooked! By the end, the book was going towards a dissapointing ending but then it had me pleasantly surprised.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Confinement, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Torture, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Mental illness

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Bullying

tigerkind's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Started off a bit weak, picked up pace in the middle and crashed and dragged somewhere before the end. A good read, but a tad convoluted for my taste. 

The MC seems to be a self insert for the author – I don’t see any other reason why everyone (including himself) keeps going on about how handsome he is. 

A big part of the narrative depends on the use of gender-neutral pronouns and assumptions about gender roles.

As soon as Harriet refers to her partner by „they“, things were pretty clear and all the puzzle pieces fell into place as the narrative went on.

It’s a bit silly to expect the reader to be led astray by gendered assumptions in a book where all the leading figures are women. 
(Ben is the MC but to call him leading would be a stretch)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Animal death, Medical content, Body horror, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicide, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Torture

Minor: Bullying, Classism, and Misogyny

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Torture and Drug abuse

carolinefran's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Animal death, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Pregnancy and Drug use

aileron's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Confinement and Stalking

Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent

coffeekitaab's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

After reading multiple books at the same time, I dedicated yesterday to finishing the second half of this book in one sitting and on reflection, still not sure how I feel about this. Some aspects are brilliantly written, the premise grips you from the blurb/first page and a gradual build up of the case/story has you on edge, the writing in certain parts is brilliant - I love how Blake references true crime in the UK (infamous cases which add to the mystery) Shakespeare within the story, even comparing the Greek God's of Death and Sleep (who are brothers) such a fine line and honestly pure genius.  Special mention to that moment where Emily meets Anna after she finally opens her eyes and the nostalgia that ensues with Emily remembering how Anna was as a baby, the eyes being the part of the body that do not change, so even if 4 years have lapsed, that remains the same and all the moments shared over the years *chef's kiss*. 

The cons: The punchline hit and missed me, to be honest. That moment where everything unravels and the reader is brought in on the twist... I was so ready for that moment but I guess I was waiting a while so when it eventually happened, the writing left me confused. I was expecting more from the second half in terms of exploration and investigation of the crime, as a reader alot of points where you expect follow through were missed eg the file Ben picks up from Bloom's office was not even looked at until I think 80% of the way through. There was more repetition in the second half which was unnecessary and the words could have been used to boost the storyline which didn't happen. I have told all my friends about the story (because it is brilliant) and yet as the book went on, as a thriller, it failed to deliver for me. I will look out for more from Matthew Blake because I did enjoy this in parts and he is a welcome voice to this genre, I can imagine the next one will be brilliant and there is massive potential based on the idea alone. Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail