This was a fantastic semi-pseudo-pandemic horror-female rage novel and I COULD NOT STOP listening to it! Now you may be wondering what I mean by “semi-pseudo”, while there is not currently a pandemic called The Violence affecting Americans the author somehow still saw the future when this book was published in 2022; when you read it you will definitely understand what I mean.

If you like end of the world horror, if you like female rage novels where the bad guy gets it, or if you like horror novels with happy endings then read this! Though it is a bit gory and a trigger warning…animals and people die.

This was my first novel by Delilah S Dawson but it won’t be my last! Hillary Huber is an excellent narrator. It is a big book and a long listen/read but it went by very quickly.

**Thanks to the author and Del Rey for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review back in 2022, sorry it took me 3 years to read it! I also got it from my library in hardcover and audiobook)**

This one was hard to read. I thought the premise sounded interesting but the actual execution was too difficult for me to say I actually enjoyed it. Well done but not for me.

When you see Stephen Graham Jones give a great review of a book called The Violence, you request it on NetGalley immediately and hope you can finish + review it before pub day in a matter of days. Then, you see it’s over 500 pages and panic. THEN, you start reading it and…cannot stop.
The Violence, capital V, is a plague. It’s 2025, the world has barely recovered from COVID, and all of a sudden a new virus is popping up. Once infected, and without warning, the infected lose control, turn on whoever is close, at random, and basically beat them to death. Chelsea Martin is trying to navigate this new normal, while trying to protect her daughters–from both the Violence and her abusive husband.
While there are TONS of triggers–the author actually opens with a list of all the difficult topics that come up in the book–I thought it was going to be more, well…violent. Sure, there are some really gory, difficult-to-read scenes, but I expected something kind of campy and gory. The Violence revolves around a ruthlessly murderous plague, yes, but it’s about so much more than that. It’s about perseverance, endurance, persistence, family, and love, amidst the worst possible circumstances.
In addition to the trigger warning, the author also opens with a note sharing her experience with abuse. Considering all of the Martin women are dealing with or have dealt with some forms of abuse, The Violence feels like an act of catharsis for the author.
The Violence was shocking, addictive, terrifying, fresh, and phenomenal. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but if it seems like something you can stomach, I highly recommend it.
Huge thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Del Ray Books, and NetGalley for the eARC!
Also, get you a partner that doesn’t flinch when you walk around with the largest possible knife for the sake of content

The main female characters in “The Violence” are victims of abuse or trauma (with one character, Patricia, being both a victim and an abuser). What they experience is horrible, reprehensible, indefensible, etc. The consequences the abusers face fall well short of what they deserve.

That being said, the overarching story is so ludicrous that it borders on hilarious. In April 2025, a new disease (the Violence) first emerges in Florida and soon spreads to other tropical regions. The first instance occurs when an elderly woman grabs a glass bottle of salad dressing and uses it to beat to death another customer, puts the bottle back on the shelf, and resumes her shopping. The attack was wholly unprovoked, and there was no connection between the attacker and victim. More such random acts of violence start occurring, often involving an attacker no one would suspect. Scientists quickly discover it is a disease, and it is spread by mosquitoes (hence the prevalence in tropical environments). Infected people are quarantined. A vaccine is created but it is prohibitively expensive.

Chelsea, one of the abuse victims, will provoke her husband (David) to engage in a much more violent attack than usual, and then will call the authorities to report her husband has “the Violence”, so he will be taken away and she and her children protected. This will only partially work, as David is taken away and quarantined, but several of his friends (one a police officer and the other an attorney) know he does not have the disease and intend to make sure Chelsea faces the consequences for her lie. Also, in a karmic twist, Chelsea ends up infected (much to the dismay of the family dog) and has to isolate herself from her children for their safety and eventually has to seek help from her emotionally/mentally abusive mother (Patricia).

Enterprising individuals create a Violence Fighting Ring with scripted matches like professional wrestling, which will be live-streamed and give infected individuals an opportunity to work. The “Florida Woman” and “Florida Man” stereotypes are in full force. In addition to death by salad dressing bottle, there is death by Yeti cup and death by candy dish. Pepper can trigger the Violence storms, while dogpiling on a person who is “storming” can stop the storm.

Yet, despite all the silliness, the story also has a strong message about resilience, helping others, and the power of reclaiming one’s agency. Chelsea, Ella, and Patricia/Patty will each be profoundly changed for the better as a result of the impact the “Violence” has on their lives, disrupting their status quo and forcing them to find or rediscover themselves.

I do love a multiple POV novel. Each woman has a compelling story arc and the twist are sharp and intentional. I very much enjoyed the clip of Delilah Dawson's novel. I felt like reading it was a breeze. The characters are layered and interesting.

I was so excited about this release and after my long new baby book hiatus, this was such a fun novel to jump into! Just look at that beautiful cover! How could I resist

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK?!

This book was freaking awesome. I read it long enough after Covid that it didn't feel redundant but close enough that I was thrown right back into the general sense of fear and trepidation that surrounded every interaction during the pandemic. I loved that this book recognized Covid and built off of it. It felt fresh, scarily plausible, and wholly unique.

Dawson did a really great job creating a detailed plot and story. I was totally invested in the characters, loved that we had some backstory, and learned of the violence pandemic in "real time" along with them. It was easy to remember how scary everything felt during the early days of Covid and I just couldn't imagine how I would feel or react if the violence was real too.

Dawson was sneaky in a few places referring to a particular president and I hope and pray she wasn't telling the future. I appreciated how she didn't use any names and let the reader draw conclusions - it was really well done.

This book is long but well worth it. I did the audio and absolutely adored it. I definitely recommend.

I freely admit, I didn’t finish The Violence. I had an awful premonition of some scenes featuring abuse, so I went to Goodreads and read some reviews. And thankfully, I learned there were some graphic scenes about animal abuse.

And that’s a hard no for me. So I quit The Violence.

It was an interesting concept, but I can’t get past that trigger warning.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for the review copy.

When this victim of domestic violence seizes an opportunity to free herself and her daughter, it's bound to cause consequences. An original plot that was a quick read for me.

I absolutely could not put this book down. It took me a little over 1 day to finish up and that is how I can tell that a book is amazing. I have always been interested in disaster/end of the world stuff, so this book was right up my alley.

The plot revolved around a survivor of IPV finding her way in a crazy world. Good, fun read and rated 5/5 stars!

The Violence is just that a book about Violence and wrestling... The Violence follows three female leads, two of whom have dealt with Domestic Violence. Throw in a second pandemic called The Violence and then random wrestling and you have The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson. Initially, The Violence starts strong and the reader is engrossed in the characters and their lives, eventually, the story starts to drag and goes off the rails making it almost unbearable to finish. In the end I just wasn't in love with this story or the characters.

A violence causing pandemic from a mosquito that causes people to blackout and do deadly things? Sign me up! Also women who finally get revenge from their abusers? I’m in!
What did not work for me is 1) ANIMAL ABUSE! I just can’t take it when animals (especially domesticated) are killed by humans. 2) For a book that was almost 500 pages, the pace was dreadfully slow. 3) I felt that the women characters were not fully developed and therefore didn’t feel much connection to them. That being said, I will absolutely try this author’s next book and hope it contains no animal violence.

I thought this book was pretty good. The first part was making so angry with how the women were being treated and sometimes treating each other. The main POV 's are able to use the pandemic to help find their voices and themselves . I thought this was a good take on women saving themselves.

I was totally blown away by this powerful story. Told by 3 different POV, all strings come together at the end... It was a dystopia, a thriller, modern horror and an own-voice survivor story. Almost each chapter ended with a cliffhanger, so I quickly turned the pages for getting to know what has happened. I liked the fact that the story is also mentioning Covid-19 and imagining another pandemic coming afterwards. How would it change our society? From all 3 female characters, I liked Chelsea the most because she has the strongest character development. Also, as domestic violence and abuse was experienced by the author herself, she described the difficult situation very well. How can a woman escape when she was told over years that she is small, without her own money and a social network? I felt empathy with Chelsea when her husband abused her again and again, followed by massive gaslighting afterwards. Huge parts of this book are dark and depressing, but I really liked the surprising change of the story. I never would have imagined that Chelsea could take a completely different job and thrives in it. But read the story!

A huge recommendation for this fast-pacing and important story. Please read the content notes before reading, as some parts of the book may be triggering.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I’ve come to realize I’m not an apocalyptic kind of girl. I had to dnf this one. Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy to review.

This is a thriller, which is interesting and kept you interested from start to finish. I enjoyed the writing style and found an interesting read.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was unable to get past the first few chapters. I believe this is just an issue of my taste not aligning with the story. I recommend others try it!

Excellent writing and disturbing story. I really liked it, though I did have to skip a part. Skipping that small part did not take away from the story because I knew what happened. I just didn’t want to cry or see those images in my head.

This is the most disturbing story I’ve read in a while and I’m glad I read it. There’s not much that disturbs me but this did. Kudos!

Recommended but be mindful of the trigger warnings at the beginning!!

Hit a little too close to home, and felt a little long for me. Super interesting concept, and love the pro-women angle, overall a unique story.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected. I couldn't figure out how sci-fi would be with horror/thriller. This author put them together perfectly. I definitely would recommend this book!