Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Havoc by Christopher Bollen

8 reviews

jenmtnbike's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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antiauk's review

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challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

That...was a lot.

It felt a lot like watching really socially awkward things happen one after another in that so much of the behavior of Maggie Burkhardt was weird and irratic and why the hell is an 81 year old woman obsessing over an 8 year old boy? 
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mademoiselle's review against another edition

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

3.0

So, I'm struggling with how I feel about this book. Saying I enjoyed it might be a step too far, but I was engaged the whole time I was reading this. I hated basically every character and thought they all made incredibly stupid decisions with somewhat muddled motivations. Maggie was insuferable and I really just wanted to scream at her to switch hotels. Otto was a total nightmare and I never fully understood why he was the way he was. I spent I large chunk of the book thinking it was all in Maggie's head. Also, most of the twistier aspects of this story where rather predictable. I'm not disappointed I read this by any means but I also won't think of it much now that I'm done. 
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mmsh's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Going into this book, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  As I started reading, I thought that it wasn’t as suspenseful as I expected, but it picked up quickly.  There were twists and turns that I didn’t expect and kept me on my toes.  I found myself questioning if we were witnessing evil or the unraveling of a mind - or both.   By the end of the book, I thought, “What the heck did I just read?” in the best way and I’m questioning so many things I thought as I read.   

Definitely recommend this book - more unsettling than scary.  Brilliantly written. 
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alexisgarcia's review

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mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

if you’re able to suspend your belief, this is an insane ride. i love the idea, but the execution is lacking. also, the author making a comment about a child having a (fake)boner really soured me because why was that necessary to include.
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sadiaa's review

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4.5

This story follows a new trend of fiction, particularly thriller/crime fiction, with an elderly protagonist. 
We follow Maggie Burkhardt at the Royal Karnak, someone who takes it upon herself to meddle in the lives of other hotel guests in the aim of freeing them from their doomed relationships. We are introduced to Otto, a boy who finds out about her secret role. 
Maggie is the protagonist and through her narration we come to dislike and despise Otto, as we watch the escalation in their revenges it reaches a climax and lives are ruined. Maggie is an unreliable narrator as we find out, but I am someone who dislikes abrupt and ambiguous endings so I wish it was more clearer. Ultimately Otto is evil and I hate him, also his mother and Zacks constant excuse and inability to see ottos disturbing behaviour was infuriating. 
I enjoyed the story but it did take a while to get into the story and there were some parts where it did drag and nothing much happened, but it was interesting and I liked it.

Also this book is set during the COVID lockdown so there is a lot of mention of it which was jarring, it's not something I want to read so be warned
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wordnerdy's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

2.0

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scknitter's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh, my! I have no idea what I have just listened to. Definitely dark, often crazy, sometimes funny, and impossible to quit listening to. A psychological thriller unlike anything I have ever read. A meddlesome 81-year-old woman who has an unstoppable urge to “help” people she thinks are troubled meets her match with an 8-year-old little boy who could be compared to Patty McCormick in the Bad Seed. Together they wreak Havoc upon each other and the guests and staff at the once opulent hotel in Luxor Egypt where they have gathered to escape Covid lockdowns in their home countries. You will not soon forget Maggie Burkhardt, or the ending!
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