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faithsbookreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
gwenswoons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m so impressed by a book that both makes its characters do terrible things and makes us root for them anyway. The villain characters are SO FUN in addition to being monstrous and I thought all of the self-referential philosophical and academic nuggets just added to the humor.
January LaVoy is completely amazing narrating the audio — I have loved her work many times before but the disguised voice and all the different characters in this one were SO great and so scary.
It’s so fantastic and also truly grisly. Every possible trigger warning.
I saw some of the turns coming (not way far away, and not in an unpleasant way) but still was TOTALLY thrilled at the dénouement (like, a package got delivered and my dog started barking and I almost passed out from sudden terror 🤣), and thought the pacing of the book was so effective overall. I cannot WAIT to read more Adrian McKinty!!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
peyviz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, and Stalking
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment and War
alicefaye_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
jackbifrost's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and War
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
mpurdy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Drug use and Kidnapping
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, and Murder
autumnwhite's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lycheejelly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
thatsssorachael's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
As it went on, I got more and more invested. I liked the story, the writing, and the flow of part 1. It was pretty predictable, and I wanted something more shocking to happen, to prove the fear of The Chain was worth all this emotional investment I put into the book. The ending of part 1 was pleasant, it was fine. I would have been ok with ending the entire book there.
But then we have Part 2. The start of part 2 is extremely jarring, the mood is different, it's just not as good. I figured out the "who-dun-it" pretty quick here, and once again the ending wasn't shocking. For this book to have been a best thriller of the year is really surprising, as I think any die hard reader of thrillers would have figured it out pretty quickly.
I did like it, and I read it very quickly. It was easy to follow, and I didn't find myself skimming the pages. It was a fun read.
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping