I enjoyed the story and characters. I enjoyed how it showed women empowering themselves and learning to value themselves.

This book was slow in the beginning. I honestly felt like I may not be able to get through it, but then I hit THE MOMENT. That moment where I could not put it down. This is a beautifully written novel, The character development of each woman and the relationships between them made this book so much more than a book about the apocalypse. The most amazing part about this book is the fact that despite following three women on three completely different journeys, not one plot line outshined the other. They instead wound apart and back together in a way that made the ending so satisfying. This book has the perfect amount of horror, dystopia, and generational trauma to make it a highly recommendable read.

The Violence by Delilah Dawson is a surreal novel where the world has just healed from the Covid pandemic. Now it is set upon by the sudden appearance of a new and lethal disease. The Violence is the new pandemic in town. It causes people to lose control and inflict lethal violence upon whoever is nearest to them. We follow the journey of three family members as they navigate this new disease as well as their history of abuse, neglect, and future growth. Continue reading to get my take on The Violence.

The Violence by Delilah Dawson has an interesting premise with the introduction of a new pandemic, from which the novel gets its title, right after the end of the Covid pandemic. What seems to be a novel that will focus on using the Violence as a way for Chelsea to remove her and her family from an abusive husband, actually turns out to mainly be about healing from trauma, the reunification of family, and repairing broken familial relations. I will say the summary really does not do the plot justice.

Characters
I really liked the creation of the characters, they felt very unique and genuine. Switching the POV for each chapter, as a reader, you could rather easily tell who the narrator was. The characters were so distinct from each other. I also enjoyed the fact that this type of narration was multi-generational with the grandmother through to the older granddaughter.

Trauma
The Violence brought to light many concerns in the Covid era, such as income stability and domestic abuse. Before the novel even opens, Dawson reveals her own experiences living in an abusive household at the hands of her father and how that impacted her life and her relationship with her mother. This is definitely present throughout the novel, making me hope that this was a cathartic exercise for her. It is an incredibly sensitive and difficult topic but of the greatest importance. I think that brought some authenticity and gravitas to this aspect of the novel.

At times The Violence felt like a truly apocalyptic scenario with people abandoning homes, not being able to get in contact with people, and thus not being able to know if they are alive or not. Then at other times, it felt like life was normal. This did kinda feel like how the Covid pandemic has been with the attempts to get back to normal. It did not, however, translate over well to this type of pandemic where people will literally kill you with no warning or catalyst.

Pace
I guess this brings me to the main setback I had with this novel. It seemed to start off very quickly at the beginning and was fast-moving. Then at some point in the early middle, it suddenly became slow. I think it has to do with switching between pandemic apocalypse to social maneuvering at the local country club. Again, the plot summary makes it seem as though this is going to be a fast-moving and intense plot. Don’t get me wrong, it does have its moments. It does seem like the summary misses major aspects of the novel, which had actually ended up being some of the most powerful parts of The Violence.

Overall
I think the pace was really my only concern with The Violence, otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will say it was definitely not what I thought it was going to be when reading the summary. It was still a novel with an important message regarding family and the traumas of abuse.

TW: Rape, sexual harassment, toxic relationships, covid references, toxic friendships, cheating, alcoholism, animal death

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Chelsea Martin appears to be the perfect housewife: married to her high school sweetheart, the mother of two daughters, keeper of an immaculate home.But Chelsea's husband has turned their house into a prison; he has been abusing her for years, cutting off her independence, autonomy, and support. She has nowhere to turn, not even to her narcissistic mother, Patricia, who is more concerned with maintaining the appearance of an ideal family than she is with her daughter's actual well-being. And Chelsea is worried that her daughters will be trapped just as she is--then a mysterious illness sweeps the nation.Known as The Violence, this illness causes the infected to experience sudden, explosive bouts of animalistic rage and attack anyone in their path. But for Chelsea, the chaos and confusion the virus causes is an opportunity--and inspires a plan to liberate herself from her abuser.
Release Date: February 1st, 2022
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Pages: 512
Rating: ⭐⭐

What I Liked:
1. That cover is enough to kill for
2. I enjoyed the writing style and was engrossed in the main characters life

What I Didn't Like:
1. The sudden change of pace of this book into wrestling - wtf... Okay
2. The book is too long

Overall Thoughts:
Having just read And I Woke Up , this book follows in an almost similar path with a rage that makes people kill.

How messed up of a life do you have that you barely finch when your mother stomps on the dog and kills it. Then they act like everything is just normal. So sad that you could be so trained to see violence and it just feels like it's just another day.

This vaccine and testing happened fast. Doesn't seem like it was that long since the first attack.

Well this book took a weird turn that Chelsea's now doing wrestling. Did not see that coming. Felt weird.

In the end I dnfed this book as my interest went away the longer I kept this book on my currently reading status. The weird turn of the book was just not what I needed or wanted.

Final Thoughts:
First 30% of this book was golden. As the book turned into wrestling I was just like wtf... The book was too long. I'll try other books from this author.

Recommend For:
• Slow burn books
• Complex characters
• Stories with layers

WOW WOW WOW!! This book literally blew me away in the very best way!
I didn’t read it initially because I heard such mixed reviews and not gonna lie that 500+ pages scared me away…BUT I am here to tell everyone who are my fellow hardcore horror/thriller readers who doesn’t get triggered by any type of behaviors…THE VIOLENCE is a must read for you!!

I was able to listen to the audiobook and read at the same time and let me say this I finished it in less than a day and that is a tell tell sign that this is a fantastic read! It is filled with every type of social injustices that are relevant today and spins it on its head!

If you enjoy reading nail biting, edge of your seat, horrifying books, don’t let the page count sway you away it reads so fast.
Be sure to check out the TW if you do have any triggering situations

This story tells the tale of three generations of women facing domestic abuse and a pandemic-level virus (the titular Violence) that causes the infected to go into a rage and tear apart anyone close to them.

Seeing a way out, Chelsea Martin, uses her husbands explosive and abusive tendencies against him. With her husband quarantined, she can finally escape with her two daughters. Unfortunately, thanks to Chelsea’s narcissistic mother, things don’t go quite as planned.

From here, the book is a rollercoaster ride. Though the plot may sometimes feel over-the-top, this acts as an effective counterpoint to the harrowing journeys these women must undertake. Each must deal with the trauma she has experienced in her own way.

The Violence is ultimately an uplifting—though sometimes horrifying—tale about overcoming trauma with the help of family and found family.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and netgalley for this arc. It was really different and more cruel I read lately but was crazy and make you think what if. This epidemic situation make feels the worse to everyone

A fascinating, but sadly bloated, horror novel. I enjoyed the premise and some of the characters, but I had to drag myself through this novel. Had it been trimmed down by 100 pages or so, I think it would have been better off.

This was a thrilling horror story. Highly recommend looking up trigger warnings as this is full of them. I enjoyed this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I think this was my favorite horror novel of the year for 2022. Extremely timely, but not in a trite or predictable way.
I went into the book a bit anxious about how the domestic violence was going to be handled, but it was done really well IMO. Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

This was such a complex and breathtaking read, and I have so many feelings about it swirling around in my brain! It delivered on the violence and creepiness and so much more! I loved that there was a depth to it and a story of triumph over generational trauma, and I loved the way each of the main women found themselves and took control of their own story.

My main complaint was that it was so long. And also this was the first book I've read that actually talks about COVID, and I wondered if I would have liked it more without that context behind it as well, but I do see the need for a pandemic setup before the Violence.

This is such a beautiful story of 3 women who are fighting to survive, but more than that, fighting to find themselves and take control of their lives. I loved that we followed 3 generations and that we got such a powerful look at generational trauma and how hard that cycle is to break. I loved that each of their stories focused on them saving themselves. They didn't need someone else to do it, but they had to find the confidence to understand that fact.

If you're looking for a deep read, this might just be the book for you!

The book begins with a poignant author's note where she reveals that she and her mother were abuse victims that were able to escape their abuser and begin life anew. Coming on the heels of the Covid19 pandemic, a new virus, spread by mosquitoes, is infecting people. This virus causes the carrier to have bouts of rage wherein
they become ultra violent towards others. Once the episode passes they have no recollection of what has happened. The book is predictable filled with violence, some of it extra hard to read and reconcile. Not for the faint of heart.

I had hoped to like this book. I have been enjoying suspense books a lot as of late. Sadly, The Violence didn't keep my attention. It was all a little too slow for me. I had to add this book to my DNF list. I do hope that others will enjoy and love this book. It just was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of The Violence by Delilah Dawson

The Violence follows women from three generations of the same family as they grapple with a pandemic that turns people violent and murderous. This pandemic takes place after the Covid pandemic, and has some good social commentary regarding pandemics and the public's response.

Patricia, the oldest- and the mother and grandmother of the two other main characters lives a posh life. She's on track to relocate with her husband and receive the vaccine to protect her from The Violence.

Her daughter Chelsea on the other hand is not so lucky, and we follow her and she attempts to escape not only The Violence, but the violence she suffers from the hands of her abusive husband.

Lastly is Ella, Chelsea's daughter and Patricia's granddaughter. We follow her as she gets stuck navigating The Violence on her own and trying to find her way back to her family.

Overall, I loved this story and the dystopian-Covid reminiscent vibes it gave off. It's a long book, and I found the last 100 pages or so a struggle to get through. I think that Ella's story line was the most interesting and the strongest of the three.

If you like stories that follow badass women, with some dystopian feel to it, this is your book.

Love me a good horror novel. Was the torture a bit much? Yes, but i kept pushing through. Dawson did a wonderful job creating a creepy setting

A really intriguing premise, and interesting, well-sketched characters - I was invested in the character and the plot, which was really propulsive. The body horror is definitely a key element but it’s all in service of a well-told story, not gratuitous.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the concept, hated the execution.

This story was awesome! Crazy, violent and unpredictable. What a ride!! It was a tad bit outlandish and unrealistic at times, but I loved that about it. At other times, it was so real it was scary - it might hit close to home for those who survived domestic abuse. But what a way to get payback - Brilliant!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Overall 3.5 stars. Deep, thought provoking, hard hitting read. The writing is tight, the words have a comfortable flow. It hard to go into detail for fear of giving something away. If anything, if you can afford to read going in knowing as little as possible, it will enhance your overall reading experience.

#NETGALLEY. #THEVIOLENCE

There was too much abuse and violence for me. I’m not opposed to violence, but domestic abuse is not my favorite thing. The premise was interesting, but it wasn’t for me.