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lily_sutton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicide
jesliwen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- 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
i never cry at books but this one got me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
roseteareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I like the utilization of the multiple POV though some dragged more than others. Lavender's story was the most interesting to me. I enjoyed Saffy as a character but at times her story felt more like a standard police procedural wrapped in literary style writing. Hazel's sections were the slowest for me.
What I do like is that it captured the essence of empty narcissim that drives these serial killers. These are sociopaths with a fragile ego and overblown sense of self. They aren't exceptionally intelligent or charming, and neither was the killer at the center of this novel even though from his POV you could tell that he thought he was.
What I do like is that it captured the essence of empty narcissim that drives these serial killers. These are sociopaths with a fragile ego and overblown sense of self. They aren't exceptionally intelligent or charming, and neither was the killer at the center of this novel even though from his POV you could tell that he thought he was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
liurhonda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Solid average read.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
amberjackonski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
ellenisntcool's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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 believe that this book was really good, truly. However, I think we could have taken out Ansel’s chapters and bring even more focus onto the women as I feel they weren’t given a chance to speak as Ansel would slip in with his weird stuff about his theory that I really don’t care about as I don’t care for that man and never will.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Pregnancy and Grief
vanessa_black_03's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
This book will make you think and think. It should be read by everybody who has ever thought about the person behind the unmistakable cloud of death by a killer.
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
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
Content Warnings
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
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, and Death of parent
misssleepy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
I have seen this book on book tok several times. I submitted it as a recommendation for the Merc 20-Something book club and it was picked.
I loved this book. It was very reflective and it challenges how society glorifies serial killers by reflecting on the lives of 3 women that intersected with this serial killer, Ansel Packer.
The women in this story are written beautifully. They are raw and they are flawed and they are so deeply human.
When I started reading this book, I did get nervous that I would find myself sympathizing with Ansel and I was really resistant to that feeling. Having finished the book, I realize that my nerves were a manifestation of conflicted feelings. There were fleeting moments of sympathy, but also hatred, pain, anger, dismay, and embarrassment.
There is a lot to feel conflicted about. The idea of nature vs nurture, the morality of the death penalty, the internal struggle of good vs evil, the idea that everyone is loved on some level regardless of their atrocities. The authors did an amazing job of forcing the reading to reckon with all of these contradictory themes while still providing the reader space to form their own opinions.
Also shout out to Shawna for playing Ansel like a fiddle.
This book reminded me in some ways of Bright Young Women. It is very much a commentary that it isn’t the men that murder that deserve our energy and admiration, but the women whose lives were taken from them. That victims are more than their ending, that they are complex and vibrant. The author reflects on what their lives could have been and could’ve meant to the world.
The exploration of Ansel’s relationship with Blue was one of the more contradictory plot lines of the book for me. I think it’s important to show the humanity in all people, even killers like Ansel and how the choices they make can have such devastating impacts to people who do view them from a place of goodness. I also thought the juxtaposition of that relationship to Saffy’s longing for family and her search for her father was deeply touching, and a bit haunting.
I just have to complain about how often the authors described character’s breath as sour. Okay good to get off my chest.
10/10 would recommend!
I loved this book. It was very reflective and it challenges how society glorifies serial killers by reflecting on the lives of 3 women that intersected with this serial killer, Ansel Packer.
The women in this story are written beautifully. They are raw and they are flawed and they are so deeply human.
When I started reading this book, I did get nervous that I would find myself sympathizing with Ansel and I was really resistant to that feeling. Having finished the book, I realize that my nerves were a manifestation of conflicted feelings. There were fleeting moments of sympathy, but also hatred, pain, anger, dismay, and embarrassment.
There is a lot to feel conflicted about. The idea of nature vs nurture, the morality of the death penalty, the internal struggle of good vs evil, the idea that everyone is loved on some level regardless of their atrocities. The authors did an amazing job of forcing the reading to reckon with all of these contradictory themes while still providing the reader space to form their own opinions.
Also shout out to Shawna for playing Ansel like a fiddle.
This book reminded me in some ways of Bright Young Women. It is very much a commentary that it isn’t the men that murder that deserve our energy and admiration, but the women whose lives were taken from them. That victims are more than their ending, that they are complex and vibrant. The author reflects on what their lives could have been and could’ve meant to the world.
The exploration of Ansel’s relationship with Blue was one of the more contradictory plot lines of the book for me. I think it’s important to show the humanity in all people, even killers like Ansel and how the choices they make can have such devastating impacts to people who do view them from a place of goodness. I also thought the juxtaposition of that relationship to Saffy’s longing for family and her search for her father was deeply touching, and a bit haunting.
I just have to complain about how often the authors described character’s breath as sour. Okay good to get off my chest.
10/10 would recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder
emiliegrace's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow what a truly poignantly heavy read. Kukafka expertly navigates the telling of Ansel’s story through the eyes of the women so deeply affected by his actions and the age old discussion of good vs evil - all while casting a scrutinizing glance at the American justice system. The women become the main characters in what would otherwise be another true crime look at a serial killer’s psyche, and by focusing on these women, Kukafka explores the depth of how they are individually affected by their own choices and the choices of others. The exploration of the way our choices splinter our lives into endless different paths was unexpected, but a theme I greatly appreciated throughout the women’s stories as well as Ansel’s own death row reflections. I found myself aching for the pain that Lavender felt at the hands of her husband, while recognizing and resenting her choice of abandoning her children in order to save herself. I found myself devastated in Hazel’s recognition that she would forever be shadowed by the death of her twin sister. But I found myself most pleased with the outcome of Saffy’s story. Her unsuredness in herself that dissolves into a steadfast and primal need to seek justice - only for that justice to then ultimately feel unsatisfying and flawed (as our system often is). Truly a masterful exploration of tragedy and its effects on humanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Murder, and Domestic abuse