Reviews tagging 'Blood'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

95 reviews

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Murder, Blood, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

When the reality of gentrification is a horror story, it makes a compelling premise for a thriller. Cole weaves together a story that should feel impossibly evil and calculated, but every time the reader is tempted to think so, she points again to history - it happened here, and here, and here. I enjoyed the dual POV, and Cole's use of Theo's narrative helps to highlight the advantages white people - even in abject poverty - have over Black people and other people of color. Sydney's narrative, meanwhile, is the haunting reminder that the abuse of - and gaslighting of - Black women is far from fiction. My only challenge in this was the pacing in the first half - I struggled to stay invested - and some dialogue that felt flat toward the end and lessened the emotional impact. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Kidnapping, Confinement, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Alcoholism, Addiction, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Classism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

raptorq's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Death, Infidelity, Classism, Blood, Racism, Kidnapping, Slavery, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Suicide and Gore

Minor: Drug abuse

clarkg's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

When No One Is Watching is unsettling, grotesque, and and believable. Drawing from the real-life horrors of gentrification and medical abuse, this thriller is a stomach-churning exploration of how Whiteness and corporate greed act as predatory forces in marginalized communities. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Gun violence, Torture, Stalking, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Gore

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Infidelity

mdavis26's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Excrement, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual content

tallulahchanel's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Gore and Blood

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Sexual content and Xenophobia

martieliz's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders

caylacolclasure's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Blood

snd1101's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Death, Blood, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Slavery

Minor: Forced institutionalization

barefootbetsy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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

4.5

I really liked this. Yes, the pacing could’ve been more even, but the concept was solid and I enjoyed the story!  I, like many other reviewers, could’ve done without the romance subplot; but those issues aside, I thought the story was well done and it certainly drew me in quickly and thoroughly.

The history was fascinating and I have a new appreciation for how difficult (and horrifying) living with the remnants (and current iterations) of slavery and redlining and stolen land must be 😞

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Excrement