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justinareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident and Abandonment
thecheeseowl's review against another edition
- 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
This story similar to Ancel himself was truly fascinated with morality and what serial kills say about humanity as a whole along with what does love truly look like and how can something like love be corrupted.
There have been people who argue that the book is too sympathetic to Ancel. I disagree throughout the whole book until I got to the end where now I understand what they were saying. But I would still argue that the book isn't arguing that Ancel is a good person it is just arguing that he is a person. That there was something there that could have been but wasn't because of what he did.
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Child abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death and Racism
Minor: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction
lily_sutton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicide
jesliwen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
jenny_d's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death
liurhonda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pros: the set up of the novel and pacing allows for a page turner mystery/thriller. Has some good plot twists, and I liked the range of characters included.
Cons: It's ironic how the main messaging (or what it attempts to message) of this book is that female victims are only remembered or highlighted by male perpetrators, while doing so the whole book by he vily centering Ansel/the male perp. We stay in his perspective a lot and the female characters are all quite enamored with him or heavily impacted by him. It makes sense logically but doesn't work with this type of messaging that only comes in at the end, very explicitly. Lots of tell and not show.
Also peppered in the end is a weak, again explicit, critique of the injustice in the prison industrial complex in America. While true, doesn't do anything new, nor does it contribute to the overall messaging of the book. Comes across a bit sloppy and not very impactful. Uses abstract flowery language to describe emotions, atmospheres, etc. too much for my taste. Characters also felt a bit hollow.
(A bit of a spoiler: I also wonder if how Ansel heard voices and how he 'pretends' much of his life alludes to any mental illness? Maybe I missed some implications, but would have loved to see this theme explored a bit more. Or at least this thread wrapped up)
TLDR; Ultimately the messaging/themes of this book where sloppy (some where very ambiguous which I did not like but that's a personal preference) but serves as a good spooky mystery page turner.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Addiction, Stalking, Suicide, Abandonment, Child death, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
ellenisntcool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m struggling to know how to rate this, so I’ll come back later but or right now I’m on the fence about giving it anything higher than a three as the ending felt off especially with one of the women spoken about almost forgiving him, and we don’t get to see why.
(As I’m writing I’ll probably give it that three anyway.)
Edit: dropping my rating to two stars, the more I think and talk about this book the more I dislike it.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Pregnancy and Grief
vanessa_black_03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Shows us how circumstances lend to our making but justifying anything you do with it and not acknoledging a problem within you is all that makes the difference
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Stalking
Minor: Car accident
tearearly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, and Death of parent
geminireader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Death, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, and Misogyny