Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch

4 reviews

jetpackdracula's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Torture, and Child death

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

sneaky_snake22's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.5

It really doesn't focus on the daughter at all and while the motivations of the main male protagonists are fine it's just a very slow book. The most interesting part of the story was that it's based on the authors family, but you don't hear that until the author note at the end. It was a very boring murder mystery.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War, Misogyny, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, and Murder

queenb13's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

0.25

I don't typically write reviews, however, I wanted to include the following things that I wish I had known going in, including some trigger warnings.

The women in this book are plot devices, and there are several graphic depictions of violence against female bodies. Not for me. Beyond that, the "plot twist" is incredibly stupid (what sort of idiot wouldn't realize a mark on a shoulder was being read upside down?) and the bad guy is obvious. The connection between the hangman and the "devil" was pointless and in my opinion contrived. Also did not appreciate the mystification of a sexual predator as "the devil". One of the main male characters, whose love interest is the hangman's daughter, forgets about her TWICE, including one time when she has been KIDNAPPED. He literally thinks to himself, "oops, forgot all about her!". He is 25 years old and wonders what a 12-year-old girl will look like in five years when she smiles at him. Hmm.

Magdelena, the hangman's daughter for whom the book is supposedly named, has hardly any role or purpose outside of a plot device and motivation for the two main male characters who the author was clearly much more interested in writing about. It is clear the author did a lot of research and that's evident in his world-building (although for me personally, this made the book really drag). This was not for me at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and War

viktorreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and War

Minor: Abortion