Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Tender Is the Flesh

This book……… is so messed up. I really enjoyed myself. But basically after every chapter I would put the book down and reflect, “….. what the HELL am I reading?” And then I’d pick it back up and keep going. Very dark, very disturbing, but really makes you think about kind of everything? Government corruption, the meat industry, the class system, the inherit value of man……. I can’t give it 5 stars because it messed with me too hard, but it was very well written and a very interesting read that I would recommend if you can handle the content warnings.

Content Warnings

kirtreads's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book had such potential and was such a cool premise but it fell short in a couple areas for me.

It focused so hard on the gore of it all that the really interesting psychological aspects were buried. I was expected to take a lot on faith as a reader, which fine, but then the main character doesn’t even trust that the virus is real.

I needed the book to be from any other characters perspective. She took the most boring character in a cast of very interesting characters.

The story felt weirdly stilted. We got huge internal dialogue pieces and then the ending is so rushed. It felt very off.

The premise was good and I wanted to love this book but it just was not what I wanted it to be.

Content Warnings

0leander's review against another edition

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dark reflective

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

3.5

It's a decent commentary on the meat industry and partially on capitalism as a whole, but if you're already familiar with the workings of slaughterhouse there's very little new horror to this novel.

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kathouck's review

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5.0

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dgiff01's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

rantsandreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-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

4.0

I really enjoyed the author's writing style. Unlike many reviewers, I found this portrayal of human behavior in a dystopian world what I think would be surprisingly accurate. The vibe of the main character was bleak and dripping with despair, as he managed to detach completely from his grim reality to serve the loved ones he felt the need to care for and the ones he lost. This story isn't just a tale of survival; it's a desperate scramble for lost joy and a chilling reminder of how greed can devour our humanity (no pun intended). The government conspiracy elements were spot on. They capture that common human tendency to assume that if it's too bizarre to believe, it must be a conspiracy. Quite the wild ride, indeed!

Content Warnings

fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.5

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