Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Come Closer by Sara Gran

14 reviews

a_leo_reading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Extremely well written and thought out.  But the racing felt off, and the finale was not as satisfying as the lead up. ALL of the character , including the demon, we insufferable humans to read about. But damn was it not effectivel  terrifying. Full review eventually .

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Bullying, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Classism

likeagilmoregirl's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Outing, and Physical abuse

hellokatya's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

3.75

this book was a really eerie quick read. really easy to digest and churn through, and held my attention the entire time. highly recommend for around halloween time 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Death

Minor: Confinement and Vomit

scockroft's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

A genuine “don’t read with the lights out” breakneck horror story with a central theme of overcoming vs. giving into your vices.  “But you can”t surprise a thing that lives inside you”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Explicitly detailed demon possession story with subtext about a failing marriage and giving into the nasty thoughts in the back of your head.

asuresh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Drug use, Blood, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Physical abuse

smolfem's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Vomit

frekdal's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, Gore, and Murder

asterius's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

Thrilling, but definitely not for me. If I had to put my finger on what kept me from loving this one it would have to be the bare bones nature of who these character are. 

In part I supppose it's because the issue has also always been with Amanda, a bit, with it only now suddely escalating -- I just would've loved to have seen more of her life before. I didn't feel I believed her connection with her husband Greg either, cutting me off from the impact of the finale where the protagonist and the demon inhabiting her could really become one. Also, the relationship of the characters have to suffer for there to be drama, for it to feel like they're being driven apart. I just did not understand what either of them actually saw in one another before things even got particularly 'bad'.

This plot is certainly for some, but just didn't hit for me. The writing style was witty, clipped, and didn't waste any time with anything at all fluff or unnecessary; lots of strong craftsmanship in the thrill department. There were quite a few times I chuckled out loud at something, in a good way.

If you like the movie

 Possession,

you'll really like this.

PS: Did not like the Latina mystic/tarot reader stereotypical stock character; it seemed like a joke about the way these things are usually solved in movies, but it just didn't land with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Gore, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Body horror

Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Forced institutionalization

morbidmyrna's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Murder, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty

an_apollinaria's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

An enjoyable horror novel, but not something i would re-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol