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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
roseteareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
haileyeh'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
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Confinement, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death, Murder, Stalking, Violence, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Car accident, Child death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Vomit, Alcoholism, Islamophobia, and Alcohol
laurataylor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Blood, Death, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
desiderium_incarnate'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
There are millions of men out there who want to hurt women - people seem to think that Ansel Packer is extraordinary, because he actually did.
This book was amazing! Yes it's incredibly dark and it hurts but it is so skillfully written and immersive and makes so much sense, I am pretty much in awe. The cover also makes so much sense when you read it and that's really cool. I didn't give it 5 stars because of a principle I have, if animals get unnecessarily hurt or die in a story, it isn't 5 stars,but yeah otherwise I fully recommend it. It really gives you a new perspective on the obsession people have with murderers or serial killers specifically - is the murderer really the most important thing about that? Is it most interesting, what made them like this? How their psyche works? What would be if they wouldn't have made those decisions? How they impacted the people around them and vice versa?
The book is not pro death penalty or police it shows flaws in the system, it also isn't against reporting on serial killers, it is just in some ways a comfort, hope, warning and another perspective from death row as well as from impacted outsiders left behind and I think that is all it should be.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Alcohol, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Car accident, Confinement, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Violence, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
kananineko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racism, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Incest, and Xenophobia
nicolesorial's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Cancer and Rape