Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

70 reviews

jomojobo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

Wow. Wow wow wow. Talk about a tense emotional roller coaster! As usual, King brings characters to life in a way that few other authors can. Their motivations, emotions, and responses feel realistic, even when the plot requires suspension of disbelief. Though this isn’t necessarily a “horror” novel, it’s plenty horrific, and even the slow parts maintain a sense of foreboding. Our antagonist and his thought process are also particularly relevant given the state of the alt-right manosphere today.

There was a stretch of several pages (and there is always a stretch of several pages in a King book) that I just skipped right over because it was too distressing.

Freddy’s final disposition.

 

I wasn’t sure while reading if I would continue with the series, but after finishing Mr. Mercedes I will definitely be checking out book #2!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Pedophilia, Sexism, Vomit, Medical content, and Classism

charlieeee's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Fatphobia, Incest, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Suicide, Blood, and Vomit

tupeloallie's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Hate crime, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Gaslighting

bjackson's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Incest, Racism, and Murder

kittygasm's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Incest

chiaradg's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Racial slurs

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Vomit

somebodys_fool's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Murder

jackbifrost's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Incest, Racial slurs, and Death of parent

mmadill227's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Racial slurs, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Stalking

jourdanicus's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

This was a good King for me. Not a perfect 5, cuz I still find it hard to get past some things with him, like the whole including a Black character who is really smart and Ivy League-bound... but still uses AAVE in reference to the 'chores' he does for his adult white friend as a 'joke' because that's funny right? Steve, I get that you're the King of Horror (pun intended); does that preclude you from hiring sensitivity readers?

I actually thought his representation of Holly's neurodivergence was pretty well done though. And I laughingly wondered whether the feds have Stephen on some sort of list for how much he must have researched explosives and strychnine for this one?! Brady is probably one of the most creepily realistic portrayals of a domestic terrorist and psychopath I've read in fiction thus far.

Anyways, Jerome 4ever. Holly 4ever too. Looking forward to finishing the Bill Hodges trilogy and moving on to the Holly trilogy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Fatphobia