Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Dear Laura by Gemma Amor

20 reviews

killmoore_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I really enjoyed Dear Laura, but to get to that point I had to stop thinking about it. There are a few painfully ignored questions that caused my review to drop drastically (why did he get in the car?!) and the ending fell a bit flat fo  me personally, but I loved the world that Gemma creates for her reader. Forever grateful that as a 30+ year old woman, I couldn't care any less about what's going on with my boyfriend of 20 years ago. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Mental illness, Child death, Grief, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Vomit

emily_stimmel's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror and Gore

Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Blood, and Stalking

pierreadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-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? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Kidnapping, and Blood

lyrcheylap's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Vomit, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault

theghostly's review against another edition

dark fast-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? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Minor: Animal death and Blood

ginagray's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Grief

Moderate: Gaslighting and Drug abuse

catsy2022's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Rating: B+

Dear Laura, a book I think I might've read before, is about Laura, whose childhood best friend and boyfriend, Bobby, is kidnapped by a man suddenly one day and vanishes without a trace. She spends years processing the trauma of this event and navigating the social relationships around her until she receives a letter from the man who claims to have kidnapped and killed Bobby. 

This is a very short book which unravels in alternating chapters between the present and the past, where Laura is a teenager and navigating the requests she receives from X in her letters. I did like the set-up and the writing style was decent, not too descriptive and verbose, but not so simple to be underwhelming. I also really felt that the scene where Bobby was taken was such a well-written scene that described so accurately the confusion of a child in seeing her friend leave with a stranger, but also leave her behind without reason.

Worth a read if you're looking for short horror fiction grounded in reality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Stalking

Moderate: Self harm, Vomit, and Blood

Self harm -

Laura rips out her own tooth.

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

4.25 stars! Far better than expected. A dark, twisted tale perfect for Halloween season. If you are especially sensitive to paedophilia, this book might trigger you, therefore proceed with caution.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking

chloseencounter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This was a short read that was very eerie and effective, it definitely gave me the absolute creeps (but I also made the mistake of reading this all in the middle of the night in the dark). My only complaint is I didn’t think the ending was entirely satisfying but it wasn’t bad either. 

When I first finished the story I felt  like it was super scary but after sitting on it for a few days it’s left less of a lasting impact on me than I would’ve thought initially. Either way this book still accomplishes a lot for how short it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Pedophilia, Stalking, and Gun violence

Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, and Grief

Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Alcohol, Mental illness, Sexual content, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders