Reviews tagging 'Incest'

You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

18 reviews

codexvraenise's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Well, what can I say? Due to the given information on the back of the book, I thought I would read some sort of folk fairy tale woven into modern life, which was the reason why I bought the book in the first place. After some chapters in I realised, this was not what the book wanted to be. It reminded me very much of  "Pan's labyrith" in the way that the reader/watcher is presented with two stories at the time: one about a magical world next to our own and one real but very gruesome, which pushes especially a child's mind to escapism and a twisted understanding and justification of experiences. While reading bit by bit the reader is invited to follow the (dark) magical telling of the main character, Cassandra, and/or to translate all her words to "their real meaning". This is how all the unreal, fantastical and therefor distant things get an all too real and (certainly for many readers) disturbing touch.
Even if the book wasn't what I expected from it and wasn't quite my type I still have to say, that I found it very "entertaining" and read it almost in one go. The way Cassandra connected her reality with the opinions and perceptions of others was very fascinating and creative and the writingstyle of the story (newspaper articles, excerpts of a psycological book written about Cassandra, the idea of her heirs reading her/this manuscript) conviced me to go on reading. 
Although, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone easily, as the "real" or even the mythical aspects of the story can be quite distressing. I guess this is a book which finds its audience and not something you just give someone as a birthday present. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Gaslighting, Suicide, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Cannibalism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Rape, and Infidelity

Minor: Bullying, Blood, and Death of parent

uncreativeoops's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Typical gothic horror that plays around with the ambiguity of the supernatural being real or halluciantions/trauma (and a very good choice of narration style and use of unreliable narrator). Slight pick me-vibes, but the mother-daughter conflict at the end was interesting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infertility, Medical trauma, Child abuse, and Pedophilia

katharina90's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

Very unexpected and quite unlike any other thriller I've read. I just don't think I enjoyed it. The concept is creative, but the pace was too slow for me for most of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Rape, Incest, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Abortion

amcleod's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

This is a dark and difficult book, but an enthralling one. The book presents two possibilities for its events and refuses to choose one, but as they unravel you learn much about the main character and the impact of abuse. The prose and pacing are beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Pedophilia, Abortion, Stalking, Sexual violence, Rape, Death of parent, Infidelity, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Infertility, Incest, Child abuse, and Death

aileron's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Abortion, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Blood and Gore

Minor: Confinement

readingwithwren's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Murder, Incest, and Death of parent

Moderate: Abortion

alliedelexa's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

honestly, i saw this book on the shelf at the library and thought the cover was cool and i was looking for a quick read. BOY, was it a quick read because I could not put this book down, mostly because it’s not at all what i expected. a woman accused of murdering her husband and has suspicion cast on her for another tragedy involving her father and brother — is missing. she leaves behind a memoir of sorts to her heirs and within the contents she tells her side of the story.  it is interesting and leaves you not knowing what or who to believe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Incest, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, and Rape

dayofthetabi's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I have no words for this book. I will probably spend weeks deciding on which was real and which was the story. This is an intense read and man I had no idea what I was in for 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual content, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Body horror, Death of parent, Incest, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Child death, Infertility, Pregnancy, Rape, and Toxic relationship

soozasaurus_rex's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Body horror, Death, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infertility and Incest

roxxie's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Incest, Abandonment, and Blood