Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The One by John Marrs

20 reviews

thequiltyreader's review against another edition

challenging hopeful tense fast-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

4.0

Another near future page turner by John Marrs. There were a lot of characters which worried me at the start, but they each formed part of their own little story and didn't cross over so was easy enough to follow. Basically a book following a number of independent situations all stemming from the same start point of this dating app. Fun quick read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

sarah_amy's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Really enjoyed listening to this one. Narrated by a great cast of voice actors that made up the 6 characters featured in this book. It gave very 'Black Mirror' vibes of a future that feels not too far off with technological and genetic advancements not too far-fetched. Loved how it showed the different moral and safety predicaments that genetically-matched coupling could bring. I was drawn in by all the characters, who were both charismatic and incredibly flawed, which made it difficult to know how to feel about them, making them more human. If any flaw, a couple of the endings felt a little rushed. I devoured all 11 hours of this in 2 days. Looking forward to rereading The Passengers next, now that I know it's somewhat part of a series (though both books serve well as stand-alones!).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Torture, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

hehashcraft's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Torture, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

opplecopter's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Imagine if finding your most compatible partner was as simple as mailing off a saliva sample and getting the results emailed to you. Dating would be unnecessary. Going through the awkward phases of getting to know someone or stumbling over your words would be cast aside completely. You wouldn’t have to worry about second guessing anything because on a genetic level, you would have the person who is best suited for you. No other person could ever connect or love you as deeply as your Match could. Not only would this person be your Match, but they would be “the one.” The only other person in the entire world that is perfect for you. Sounds crazy but also kind of intriguing, right? 

Let me start off by saying this whole concept is creepy in itself because I can completely see this, along with the absolute chaos that ensues, being a possibility in the future. This is a modern day Twilight Zone tale or I suppose Black Mirror would be a better fitting comparison. We’ve got some psychological thriller/suspense with a dash of sci-fi thrown in. The story follows five people who have been “Matched.” Mandy, a divorcée who just wants to find love after heartbreak, Jade, who is angry and disappointed in her life as a whole, Nick, a man who is planning a wedding with his fiancée, Ellie, a woman of wealth and power, and Christopher, who is a serial killer (not a spoiler, you find this out immediately when he is introduced). 

We cycle back and forth between the lives of each of these people, so if you prefer a book with one straightforward storyline and don’t like jumping around, then you probably won’t enjoy this. The chapters are numerous, but very short since each one focuses on one of the five people. Personally, I enjoy the short chapters, some of which are only 2-3 pages, because it helps me remember everything still going on with the other characters. I feel like if they were longer, I would’ve been constantly flipping back to reread so I could keep up. I will be honest and say a couple of the storylines started out boring while a couple seemed to grab my attention much sooner (like Christopher’s), but they all deepen and get better as you go on. Starting off, we get to know their lives and backgrounds before we watch their worlds get shaken up and flipped upside down. There were so many layers, twists, lies, secrets, and betrayals. The ending was so unexpected and changed the entire atmosphere of the book and made you question everything. 

I’ve been looking for another 5 star for months, and every time I thought I found one, I was disappointed. I have zero complaints on this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Miscarriage and Vomit

Minor: Child death

knitdyeread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy

leebeeloves's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

Unexpected gore and detailed serial killer info, couldn’t push through because it was too graphic. Should have read the TW before reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

marareading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

An amazing thriller! Imagine a company exists that has created a DNA match test to ensure that every person is matched with the ONE person on earth who is perfect for them, but only if you choose to find them. I'm this book there are multiple POVs. One of them is a serial killer. The twists had me floored. I was actually speechless. I will recommend this book from now on. I enjoyed it so much! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

rosyeehaw's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

this book follows 5 povs in a modern world where soulmates are found based off of genetic code, however there’s lots of twists and parts you don’t expect. some of it is a bit weird and doesn’t really seem like something that could happen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Infertility, and Torture

Minor: Abortion