Reviews tagging 'Death'

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby

30 reviews

emco_0's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, Car accident, Vomit, Racial slurs, Drug use, Murder, Violence, Sexism, Fatphobia, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Addiction, Trafficking, Ableism, and Death of parent

healingtothemax's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Not for the faint of heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Car accident, Murder, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Death, Cursing, Addiction, Drug use, Blood, Police brutality, and Gun violence

jaylee_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

graff_fuller's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This is the second book that I've read of S.A. Cosby (Razorblade Tears, though published later...was the book that brought this author into my view). I actually loved this book, better.

I love reading Thrillers...and this was outside my usual. This protagonist has done a LOT of shady sh*t, but deep down he's a man that just wants to do right for his family.

Beauregard "Bug" Montage is a hard working man that has been dealt a bad hand in life, but he doesn't make excuses. He just keeps doing his best. He also has a talent...he can build/race cars. This is both a blessing and a curse. The curse part, comes in the way of ... being "the driver" for any type of heist.

When we first meet him, he is presented with a stretch of bad luck in his business, but also his mother's being evicted from her Nursing Home...because of hidden income...which presents itself as a bill of a LOT of money...that Beauregard has to come up with...to keep his mother safe.

Then the bottom drops out. One mistake leads to another, and another, and another. Blood leaking through enemies, acquaintences, friends and even family. When will it stop?

Even his long lost/dead father is hanging around as a spector in his mind...taunting him down a specific path in life, while his wife is trying her hardest to keep her husband near...so that he can be BETTER than the representation of what fatherhood was for him...so their children will know better.

Loved this book. I look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Body horror, Car accident, Violence, Racism, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Murder

elyssam's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Action-packed book about a man trying to make ends meet who can drive a getaway car like no one else and how that lifestyle can thread into several bad scenarios. 

I liked the story even though I was often questioning some of the characters’ motives and their morality. The ending was more ambiguous than I would like, but I understand why. The writing was very impactful, as the word choice went a long way in creating realistic and gruesome imagery.

At first I didn’t know if I’d enjoy this book. How was I supposed to root for people committing crimes? But then I got to know Beauregard, his backstory, and why he made the choices he made. And I also got to the action of the book (which was nearly never-ending). I could not put the book down at that point. An incredible read and a great introduction for me into this genre of fiction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Death

Minor: Drug use

aharper's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, and Gun violence

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Death

Minor: Sexual content

courtnoodles's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Blood, Death, Gore, Torture, Body horror, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, and Racism

Minor: Sexual content

kshertz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved Razorblade Tears and everyone said this was even better and they were right. I could not put this book down. I love this author’s style. He takes a fictional story filled with action and in every moment he can, throws in the reasons why life is this way for people deemed criminals or hardened or troublemakers. They are humanized as victims of the system and the cycles of poverty as well as having no support when times get tough. He tackles all the “isms” with hard hitting truth. Nothing is sugar coated and you take this ride with the knowledge that this is a reality and there is a real reason behind what happens in society today. I will definitely be reading anything this author writes in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, Classism, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, Racism, Racial slurs, and Gun violence

starrysteph's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.5

This was an exhilarating read. Intense stakes, a sharp written voice, and excellent pacing that goes from lingering moments of deep characterization to heart-pounding action scenes. I was shocked and horrified and triumphant. 

This is a story about inescapable poverty & racism. It's a story about family - about generational violence and struggling with identity and our MC's deep desire to be a good father. At its core, it's a story about one man yearning for freedom. Throw in a heist (where things rapidly funnel out of control) and a lot of action-packed getaway drives, and you've got me hooked.

We follow Beauregard ("Bug") as he attempts to create an honest life for himself and his family, leaving his exploits as a getaway driver in the past. But a lot of things go wrong all at once, and Bug is tempted by an old acquaintance to lean back into the Life he so desperately wanted to bury for one final heist. (Though is it ever one final heist?)
 
Bug is a deeply compelling protagonist - he makes some pretty nasty choices, but you still find yourself rooting for him. That's not easy to pull off.

The prose is overall strong, but at moments Cosby leans into the similes so much that it got a little distracting. There's also a lot of detailed car talk, but even as a reader with 0 expertise in this area I felt like I was able to follow along (it just took a little extra effort at times, and led to some descriptions that felt quite dry). 

It's a gritty read with a lot of depth. It's intense. It's violent. It's heavy on the heart. But in my opinion? It's worth it.

CW: murder, violence, gore, body horror, gun violence, drug use, racial slurs, torture, fatphobia, cancer, sexual content, car accident, animal death, fire, vomit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Fatphobia, Excrement, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Drug abuse, Murder, and Sexual content

stephsbooktalk's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

3.0

Audiobook: I really wanted to enjoy this one because I loved "Razorblade Tears" but I just was so confused because there were just too many names for me to remember who was who. There definitely was violent moments so please check the trigger warnings. The narrator on this was solid & has a great tone for narration. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Death