Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Daphne by Josh Malerman

14 reviews

missannacatherine's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

issymaae's review

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Car accident

kelsieyohe's review

dark tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping

shedevls's review

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

i'm not entirely sure how i feel about the way it ended (hence the rating), but the overall experience was a fun one that kept me wanting to turn the page.

also, as someone who has dealt with crippling anxiety nearly her whole life, i don't think i've ever read something that made me feel so seen... to the point to where it was somehow comforting and uncomfortable all at the same time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Car accident

anxiety is a BIG part of this book and if you deal with anxiety/panic attacks, i would advise some caution.

the main character often describes her own attacks/experiences with her anxiety in detail.

veronica214's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

Don't think about it. Don't talk about it. Forget it happened. 

"Daphne" will creep up on you. Haunt you. Terrorize you. Replay over and over and over in your head and you WILL NOT get her out. 

All I can say is, this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I related to it. I appreciate that Josh Malerman expresses the nuances of anxiety disorders through a medium he certainly understands: horror writing. 

This novel has no chapters and is one long rambling narrative told though multiple perspectives. It's chaotic. It's what anxiety is. And I honestly couldn't put this book down. Well done! 

**contains graphic, violent scenes; child kidnapping

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Kidnapping

cloudii_rain's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

All I will say that this book should not have been this long and especially for the ‘payoff’ at the end, bc, what WAS that? 😟 

It’s alright, and I liked how it talks about anxiety a lot !! But it just dragged on and on and on, and again, the ending was just, disappointing at best. :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping

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

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

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

kyra_joy's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I love this man’s writing, it really does invoke a sense of creepiness and suspense that is hard to shake, and keeps you coming back wanting to know how it ends! It was also a wonderfully depicted exploration of anxiety and the transition from teen to young adult. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Murder

maddireads13's review

dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, and Murder