Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

275 reviews

vinise's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Genocide, Sexual assault, Body horror, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Torture

ashlynregan's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

LOVED the ending to this book, even though it was a complete reversal of the character arc.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Infertility, Gore, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Trafficking, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Rape, Animal death, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cannibalism, Body horror, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

bookwormbarber's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I don’t really know what to say about this book… I didn’t really like it, but I also can’t stop thinking about it. 

The entire first half of the book is world building, and this world is f*cked and let’s just say I’ve never been more happy to be a vegan while reading a book. 

The rest of the plot seemed really disjointed and rushed. I know there’s probably deep messages about humanity, loss, and grief, but the graphic cannibalism over shadowed that a bit, you know?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Child death, Genocide, Grief, Pregnancy, Dementia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Medical content, Murder, and Rape

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Unforgettable.
I have no words. 
This book is so thought provocative. I’m disgusted and appalled. Can I understand the motivations, the conditioning, the falling of all that makes us human? I can’t but I can totally see it happening.
The parallel between the institutionalised cannibalism and our current meat industry is undeniable, but it goes further. 
It’s also a story of grief, of conforming, of madness and wrong decisions. And, the writing, the beautiful lyrical way of showing the worst, is amazing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, Grief, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Dementia

Minor: Trafficking, Infertility, Excrement, and Rape

tarklovishki's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Classism, Child death, Cannibalism, Murder, Violence, Slavery, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

parkerluck's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.75

I was rec'd this based off of how much I like Oryx and Crake and it was indeed in line! Good writing, I didn't feel like the violence or content was "gratuitous" or shock over substance or whatever else. The subject matter is horrific so heed warnings, but it's explored well and I felt it was pretty in line with, again, O&C or other bleak dystopia stuff. Enjoyed the character work for the MC, the rest of the cast wasn't as fleshed out but didn't really need to be for such a quick read. 

The people saying the ending was a "twist" don't know how to read imo. The book does a good job of building Marcos, showing you who he is, who he thinks he is, how he fits into the world.

As far as unreliable narrators go, he's not even very unreliable and the story doesn't try to conceal what he's doing or capable of doing at any point. Combined with the Icarus thread he tells himself at the end (it doesn't matter if you fall, what matters is that for a moment you were a bird), it's a very basic set up and execution of him as a character. Frustrating to see other people have so much trouble with the dissonance between the actual narrative and the narrative Marcos himself constructs tbh but what can you do. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infertility, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Child death, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, Rape, and Gore

50shadesofrae's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The kind of book so dense with social commentary that it should be taught in schools, if only it wasn’t so uniquely horrific. I loved, and I can only recommend it to a handful of people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Death, Classism, Cannibalism, Violence, and Rape

renee_fae's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Cannibalism

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Death of parent

Minor: Grief, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Death, and Suicide

ja605235's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

This book gave so little but also fed you just enough. I hate this book but will be thinking about it for the next few days! The ending made me throw the book at a wall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Minor: Rape, Medical content, Slavery, and Child death

mightydub's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, and Sexual assault