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justinareads's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
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
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
This book held up a mirror to reality. If Ancel Packer was on 2020 I don't think anyone would bat an eye. The cruelty of the world is on full display.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Child abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death and Racism
Minor: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction
jaackattack's review against another edition
It just got boring and I lost interest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
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
zoebusenberg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An attempt to critique the prevalence of serial killer fanaticism in the cultural zeitgeist - sometimes the critique is searing, sometimes it is eclipsed by delving too far deep into Ansel’s mind. Particularly, I found the ending reflections from Ansel’s POV to undermine this end, but I found the following ‘Elsewhere’ chapter super poignant and compelling. Mixed results but I truly enjoyed reading the piece, prose was gorgeous!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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
jenny_d's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death
ebreheny25's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
I think this is my first five star book of the year so yay! It is truly a wonderful and reflective novel based off of how women and true crime coincide so much. I want literally anyone and everyone to read this book. This should be a required reading for real for real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
ana_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Incredible prose paired with some interesting and intense philosophical ideas. Loved the intensity brought about by switching from second person to third person limited pov depending on the character/chapter.
I really enjoyed that towards the end, the narrative structure itself kind of fulfills Ansel's theory with multiple people questioning their own lives compared to worlds where other choices were made. Saffy's story line in particular, with her constantly imagining what the lives of the three girls could have been had they never met Ansel was really compelling. The difference between her constantly thinking about them and Ansel constantly thinking about how his life would be different highlighted a certain level of selfishness to me that I think was needed. As sympathetic as he is, in all the ways this book shows he does have good in him and all through his life if other people had made different choices (if Lavender had taken the boys with her, if Mrs. Harrison had adopted both boys instead of just Ellis etc) maybe things could have lead to a different outcome, at the end of the day, in this world, he ended the lives of four people for his own sake. The final chapter focusing on the lost potential of Izzy, Angela, Lila and Jenny's lives was really powerful in reasserting both the idea of the different universes/but also that, ultimately, those universes don't matter when in this one they don't get to live it.
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Murder