Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

473 reviews

bluemc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Gun violence, Gore, Rape, and Child death

Moderate: Drug use

abigail8908's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Overall, I thought that the story was compelling, the ending was believable, and the writing was good throughout. 

My main gripe is that the author repeats several tropes, names, and unique language devices across stories. 

Here are the things Slaughter’s The Good Sister has in common with Pretty Girls:

• Tragedy affects sisters as children
• Scientifically-minded parent
• One is a victim
• Estranged sisters
• Estrangement ends when sister explicitly states “My sister needs me”
• Use of name Quinn
• Use of name Sam 
• Use of name or nickname Huckaby/Huckleberry
• Main character with “inhospitable womb”

Having read these novels back-to-back, these things jumped out at me as I was reading and made it hard to stay submerged in the story. 

I think Slaughter’s stories are compelling. I’m honestly baffled by the repetition. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Torture, and Sexual violence

Minor: Drug abuse

michellewords's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

 I finished this book two days ago and I'm still spinning. Pretty Girls is AMAZING! This book is absolutely incredible and everything I want and need in a book/audiobook.
Pretty Girls is also one of the most graphic fictional books I've ever read. TW: sexual assault, rape, violence, snuff, porn, violence, gore, and various forms of murder/death).
That said, I loved this book so I don't know what to say.
The book takes place decades after a young woman (Julia) has gone missing. Another girl in the city is missing and it triggers some heavy memories of the 3 POV characters: her sisters ( Lydia & Claire) and her dad.
The most interesting chapters were from her dad's perspective. His chapters read like a journal or a series of unsent letters to his missing daughter with tales of the past and his experience trying to find his daughter's assailant. These chapters felt so real, I swear he felt like my dad at times.
Lydia and Claire are equally as interesting. Lydia is an ex-con ex-addict and self made mom of a teen daughter. Claire married smart and rich. She's feisty, but has skated through life until a terrible event with her husband in an alley.
This book has it all. It read like a true crime podcast, with bits and pieces of the fill story revealed a little at a time. Though you find out the truth earlier than I expected, the story gets bigger and wilder. I love the genre nods from other thrillers (house fire, international crime ring, interviews with prisoners, a knife fight, and some pretty awhile VHS tapes).
The ending, like so many other thrillers, goes for a little longer than necessary, but that's a minor quip.
I love this book and I've already recommended it to multiple people and I'll probably keep recommending it for a while. Such a great mystery with a lot of thriller moments. It's so good 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Minor: Violence, Kidnapping, and Gore

loudonuts's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

3.0

a gruesome story that was ultimately about the bond between sisters. it didn’t exceed my expectations but it was an okay thriller. at the beginning the hyper descriptive violence was shocking and intense, but by the end of it, it felt pretty gratuitous. was the aim to desensitise me, or was it just bad at keeping me engaged? unfortunately i’m not sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child death, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Self harm, Stalking, Gaslighting, Death, Torture, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Infidelity, Addiction, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

jessbslide's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

4.5

Tough content for sure but so well-written with surprising twists it kept me going, like every Slaughter book I have read.  The sister bond and the descriptions of place and frame of mind were strong. Definitely check trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Blood, Death, Body horror, and Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction

into_the_forest's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Good book and good plot, it’s just SO LONG. 

I loved the narrator of the audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Rape, Gore, and Sexual assault

beegster16's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Sexual violence, Torture, and Child abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide

makaroni18's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Rape, Gore, and Kidnapping

Minor: Addiction

ash_michelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Fatphobia, Addiction, Body shaming, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Excrement, and Vomit

caitlin_r0se's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Gore, and Sexual content