Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

29 reviews

edresbach's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Abandonment, and Gaslighting

rebeccadiv's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Rape, Torture, Grief, Body horror, Death, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Eating disorder and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Incest

reverendmix's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Body horror, Child death, Torture, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Sexual assault

starlit_pathways's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Murder, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Racism

lollymac's review against another edition

reflective sad tense medium-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Child death, Death, and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Murder, Rape, Infidelity, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Sexism

signeskov's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This novel is a great study of (complex) grief, survivor’s guilt, trauma, romantic and platonic love, difficult or absent parenting, and, most interestingly to me, female rage.

Do not take any of these themes lightly. If you are as disturbed by misogyny and violence as any functioning human should be, be prepared to be even further disturbed by this book. So, for this one, beware of the trigger warnings before reading. 

With that in mind, let it be said that Jessica Knoll does not glorify violence against women - herself a survivor, she handles the dark moments with as much care as I imagine one can for a story centralized on the aftermath of surviving a serial killing spree. Specifically, Knoll flips the perspective of a classic crime story on its head, instead working to connect the women and survivors left behind to deal with the trauma of losing a loved one under such horrifying circumstances. 

Conceived and written in a thriller-like pace, the novel is refreshing in its take on the famed Ted Bundy murders. Like Pamela, one of the main characters - an intelligent, brave, bright young woman full of integrity - expresses it, he was merely another man preying on women. A far cry from the charming mastermind the media made him out to be, but rather a man who sought to control and overpower the women in the world that shone brighter than him. A classic case of incel before the word was even conceived, and he was nothing special - there have been and are still many more men like him out there in the world. Scared, disturbed, and unintelligent who lash out their anger at the world through gruesome, unwarranted acts. 

A great and relevant read that provoked female rage in me and an even stronger belief in women’s ability to heal through communication and community. Would recommend others to pick it up, though with care - given the traumatic nature of the story, it will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The book could perhaps have been trimmed a little or still left a couple of loose threads that I perhaps would have liked to have had explored further. It’s a strong 4.25/5 for me at the time being!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Violence, Sexual assault, Torture, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, and Murder

rachelsbookishlife's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Sexual violence

sophievansaghi's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

jess_d84's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Dementia, Torture, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, and Blood

ktdakotareads's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Torture, Murder, Death, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual assault