Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Notes on an Execution

This book deserves a 5 star for the ending alone. So often we focus on men who commit crimes, ignoring the woman and people they harm and their perspectives.

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sunshine_sophia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It has taken some time to compile my thoughts on this book, and I am not entirely sure if I will be able to articulate them well enough in this review.

This book made me very emotional. It was a rollercoaster of emotion. From anger to sadness to heartbreak, and grief, this book touches on many emotions. As an emotional girlie myself, I felt them all to a large degree.

I am not an advocate for the death penalty. My thoughts are: if we as a society believe murder and homicide are bad, why do we punish someone who committed those crimes with the same fate as their victims? It has always felt backward and inhumane to me. I felt torn between wanting Ansel to die via lethal injection or staying in prison for the rest of his life. I was especially sympathetic when

Saffy confronted him after he killed Jenny. When she asked him why he took the trinkets from the girls he killed, and he responded, "to keep me safe" my heart SHATTERED. That what is mother told him with the locket she had given him as a boy.

I am not trying to glorify serial killers by feeling sympathy towards him in this moment, I am simply reflecting on the trauma that he experienced as a child, and how he carried that with him through his entire life.

It was also interesting seeing the juxtaposition of Saffy and Ansel - they both had traumatic childhoods, grew up in the foster system, and lived in the same foster home for some time. While Saffy still carried her trauma with her, she was able to mobilize and become a functioning member of society as a member of law enforcement.

This was a heartbreaking, raw, and brilliant story of trauma, and showcases the flaws within the criminal justice system.

As someone who got psychology and criminology degrees in college, I am fascinated by the why. Why do people do what they do? Why do people commit crimes? Why do people kill? This book taught me that there may not always be a why, sometimes things just are because of a plethora of decisions, biology, and countless other factors. There is no cut-and-dry reason why people do what they do. There are countless possibilities and reasons for everything.

Overall, while this book made me emotional, it was a brilliant dive into the way we view serial killers, the families impacted, the criminal justice system, law enforcement, and so much more. This book made me think and reconsider, which as a Gemini, I always appreciate.

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ember_is_gay's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was amazing, one of the best books I have read this year. I cannot wait to reread it.

I really liked the focus on the women from throughout his life. I think they are so often forgotten; even when they have been the direct victims of the crime. They easily slip away into just another women who was killed by a man while a lot of serial killers became infamous and who we see movies made about and who people obsess over and fall in love with. But then there are the women we don't even think about who have been impacted by these men. And to see and hear from them (even fictional) was so amazing and so insightful.

I also found the chapters about Ansel so well written and pieced together. They were such a good look into his brain and the way he thought about things. He was not just reduced to being a serial killer and I think it was a nice touch for exploring the complexity of humans.

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rebeccadiv's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is heartwrenching and hard to look at sometimes, but important nonetheless.

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maggiemcfly's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I had really high expectations for this book and was worried it would disappoint, but it was just amazing! The writing, the storytelling, the characters - can’t wait for the adaptation!

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