Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn

3 reviews

bodybeingsoulstl's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

while a book of fiction, the book is based on some real events surrounding serial rapist and murder, Robert William Pickton… and if you know anything about the terrible acts this man has committed, you will know what kind of book you are stepping into.

Please read the trigger warnings, this book discusses challenging topics around abuse of children, systemic racism, drugs, sexual assault/rape, and domestic abuse. 

 

You might like this book, if you...
... are interested in paranormal folklore
... like a touch of realism in your thrillers
... believe in fate (but maybe not the romance kind)

As a person who enjoys the paranormal, I was intrigued by the Filipino folklore of aswang. While I did not anticipate the heaviness + seriousness this book contained, it drove me to consider and think about the larger systems at play that impact our people daily (not in an effective or supportive way) and how one entity (by chance or maybe fate) can bring some justice to the cruelties of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Body horror, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Murder, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Abandonment

ka_cam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.75

This is a heavy, dark, deeply sad read. The primary voice of the Aswang (/marina) was compelling and added a poignancy and semi-remove maybe ubique to the semi-first-semi-third person (if there’s a word for that I don’t know it). The love and attempts and love and care throughout really come through. I also personally liked how the title came through. I think the info abt the murderer was much less complex for the amount of time spent on it, though I realize she was working off a real person model there. There is some really tough explicit content here, so please mind the content warnings.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Child abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, and Addiction

Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Medical content, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Dysphoria

Additional content warnings: child welfare systems, group homes, explicit descriptions of rape of a child and other child sexual and physical abuse, explicit descriptions of sex in the context of sex work

onceandfuturereads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Terrifically rendered, meticulously researched, and tremendously disturbing, Melissa Chadburn's debut novel is not for the faint of heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Rape, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Body horror