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novellearts's reviews
1670 reviews
Return to the Black Farm by Elias Witherow
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn't think I'd be holding down tears by the end of this book but here I am.
5/5 stars but there are a ton of triggers in this book and because of that, a lot of people will probably hate these books.
I loved the concept, loved the story, and loved the message. Definitely not for the faint of heart though. There are a lot of really brutal descriptions of torture and death in this series.
This book isn't as good as the first one in my opinion, but it's still pretty fantastic if you can stomach the content.
5/5 stars but there are a ton of triggers in this book and because of that, a lot of people will probably hate these books.
I loved the concept, loved the story, and loved the message. Definitely not for the faint of heart though. There are a lot of really brutal descriptions of torture and death in this series.
This book isn't as good as the first one in my opinion, but it's still pretty fantastic if you can stomach the content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter, Andrew F. Sullivan
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Not a full review for this one but I thought it was worth mentioning a trigger warning of animal death/cruelty.
There is a very detailed description oftheir pet turtle's injury/illness followed by an even more detailed description later on of the turtle's graphic death. It was one of the more graphically detailed animal deaths that I've personally come across.
There is a very detailed description of
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
The Couple Across the Street by Anita Waller
slow-paced
2.0
I didn't care for this story. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and it was such a slow/boring story to me. What I did appreciate from this book were some of the comments trying to quell misogyny and victim-blaming that I'm so used to hearing in real life.
Potential quote spoiler below (SG won't let me blur out a quote, sorry!!)
Here is one example:
Potential quote spoiler below (SG won't let me blur out a quote, sorry!!)
Here is one example:
'Why the hell can’t women just report it if they’ve been sexually attacked, because even if he didn’t force his penis into her, it was still a sexual attack.’ Rosie spoke quietly. ‘She was fourteen, Bren. She was a child, and the man who attacked her was a friend of her parents. And the husband of the woman she considered almost like a second mother. Of course she wouldn’t tell anybody.’
Anita Waller. The Couple Across The Street: A page-turning psychological thriller from Anita Waller, author of The Family at No 12 (p. 236). Boldwood Books. Kindle Edition.
Also, please check the trigger warnings before picking up this book. I didn't see any listed on here previously and wish I had known what content was within this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Pregnancy
The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
4.0
This book will be a nightmare for you if you don’t care about dinosaurs.
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
3.0
Sigh.. 3 stars if I’m being generous. This feels more like 2.5 stars though. I’m a bit let down by this one. I thought I would’ve enjoyed this much more but I didn’t really care for the plot or the characters. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this?