Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Daphne by Josh Malerman

4 reviews

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Murder, Cannibalism, Child death, Torture, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Body horror, Stalking, Violence, Cursing, Blood, Kidnapping, and Death

Minor: Car accident, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Confinement, Bullying, and Gun violence

bradblaz's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

its so funny to write an incredibly by-the-books slasher where the characters have actual interiority. genuinely it rocks.

really enjoyed the red herrings of making daphne seem like one iconic slasher villain, then pulling back a layer to reveal she's more similar to another. handful of these fakeouts throughout the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, Body horror, and Stalking

louisegraveyard's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Physical abuse, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

rachelunabridged's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

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Don't talk about her. Don't think about her. Or she'll come for you.

During a pre-game sleepover, Kit hears the story of local urban legend, Daphne, from her friend and teammate Natasha. When Kit makes the basket that wins the final game, what should be a time of celebration is soured as thoughts of Daphne invade her consciousness. Then the first body is found, and crazy as it sounds, Kit is sure that Daphne is involved.

~ ~ ~

I could not put this read down! The first page was super compelling and just yanked me right into the story. I really liked Kit as a character. As someone who also deals with anxiety issues, I thought she was super relatable, and I enjoyed following her journey throughout the book. (Love a book with a strong mental health theme.) I also got a really strong nostalgia vibe with this read. I think most of us can relate to having a sleepover and doing all of the spooky things like Bloody Mary, the closet game, and telling scary stories. This read will definitely bring those memories back, ha ha.

Another thing that impressed me about this read was the sense of dread. Right from the beginning, you can feel it, and Malerman did a fantastic job building it up as the story progressed. There were a lot of really brutal scenes that had me actually breathless from the tension. I seriously had to put the book down a few times to recover. But I immediately picked it back up because I wanted to know what would happen next!

The only thing negative that I have to say is that the end was a little disappointing. Thematically, it made sense, but I wanted more answers. Some things felt very swept under the rug to me.

All said and done, I would really recommend this read. It was pretty fast paced, super tense, with some gnarly scenes that really made me squirm. Definitely a great read for spooky season!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Cursing, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Kidnapping and Gun violence

Minor: Cannibalism