Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

11 reviews

sage_alexandra's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

Besides this book being really good, the narrator Megan Trout? Absolutely fantastic!!!!! I had CHILLS when the first figment spoke. 

Kate Alice Marshall crafted a beautifully complicated story

The book description mentions "The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out", but neglects to bring up, what I found to be, a much stronger connection to The Haunting of Bly Manor. Spoilers for both Bly Manor and this book:

The figments being similar to the faceless ghosts of Bly Manor. The queer romance. The main character becoming or uniting with the thing that was feared most. The absurd child sacrifices (or attempts of) for power or personal gain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Vomit, and Kidnapping

Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

a couple more content warnings: - mention of lobotomies - altered perception of reality/dissociation/loss of time and memories - a lot of bones, human and animal - vague mention of severing of limbs - specific body horror: skin coming off the body, soft bones, jumbled up humanoid bodies

sai_like_sigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, and Classism

Unreliable narrator, reality called into quest, inte se doubt

amjz's review

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Dark and mysterious gothic horror with a strong heart (and bones and shadows.) The Harrow House, the woods, the witch will live with me for some time. The mysteries in the book had me captivated, and the truth unfolded in a way that felt like I was uncovering it myself - the truth had always been there it was just hard to see. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

alexijai98's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

czoltak's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

My least favorite from this author so far. The premise and initial set up were super intriguing, but after that it got super repetitive, confusing, and boring. Also that ending was absolutely not for me. I can tell there are people who will love and really vibe with this, I’m just unfortunately not one of them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

lilifane's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

What a pleasant surprise, I didn't expect to love this book so much. 
This is a creepy, atmospheric gothic haunted house story with queer representation, really good themes and a satisfying ending. There are not many of those out there. 
Although it's YA, it's also very dark. It deals with violence against girls, and there is gore. I would recommend for the upcoming spooky season, if you haven't read it yet. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

kswartz's review

challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Child death

elizakay's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence

bookishsapphicshay's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

itsapollo's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Death

Moderate: Body horror and Child death

Minor: Vomit