Reviews tagging 'Gore'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

39 reviews

helloiloveyellow's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

engrossing thriller rooted in history, Get Out meets gentrification 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Confinement, Police brutality, Death of parent, Death, and Domestic abuse

caitlyn_rehs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Bullying, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Hate crime, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Grief

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

(listened to audio book from library)

i am not a thriller girlie but i happened to see Stephen King’s tweet recommending this book and i said, “romantic thriller? okay, let’s do this.” 

and OH MY GOD was it worth it. 

this book is REAR WINDOW meets GET OUT, Hitchcock meets Peele. it carries all of the best parts of the classic thriller genre, but was driven by a timely subject: gentrification. 

i was immediately obsessed with both narrators and how unreliable they both were, even when they tried to be truthful. Sydney and her many secrets and insecurities was lovable from the get, and Theo—poor Theo—was simultaneously hilarious and romantic in all his goofy, well-meaning but off-putting gestures. somehow the combination of the two, one extremely distrusting and suspicious woman and one extremely maleable and dishonest man, was perfect. i was rooting for them the entire time. 

the plot twists were very well timed. twist after twist, i audibly gasped. at one point i had to pause to soak in the information i’d just read. 

overall, a true thrill that made me glad i genre-hopped. thanks Stephen King for the rec. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Murder, Classism, Police brutality, Death of parent, Death, Alcohol, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Cursing, Colonisation, Gore, Slavery, Addiction, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia

Minor: Racial slurs and Deportation

roguesaw's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Racism

Moderate: Gore, Torture, Police brutality, Confinement, and Gun violence

exlibrisabigaillee's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Insanely slow until about 3/4 of the way through, at which point it goes insanely fast. Pacing is way off with romance that just draws from the plot. Good racial commentary at times, fell flat others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, and Terminal illness

Minor: Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Classism, and Gore

vmgonzalez1003's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

demeryg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

The pace definitely started slow and ramped up towards the middle/end which I enjoyed. The topics in this book are very uncomfortably accurate  which made it feel all the more closer to realistic fiction. 
The white fright, the corrupt police, the blatant acts of gentrification and pushing marginalized groups out of their homes. 
I thought the dialogue was excellent, and I personally love Theo as a character and his relationship to Sydney. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racism, Murder, and Blood

arthomas's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Grief, Murder, Drug use, Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Stalking, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mental illness, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Racism

jessicanb93's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Mental illness, Gore, and Racism

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

DAMN. It is amazing how one book can be so tense and mysterious and critical and historical and sexy and twisty and still able to to be easily consumed. I really hope Ms. Cole writes another thriller because I am hooked. I also feel like this book could function as a recommendation for someone who is at the beginning steps of their learning about the harms of gentrification. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Classism, Death, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

Particularly important for white folks who have ever moved into an "up-and-coming" area of a city but haven't reflected on what that really means.