Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

23 reviews

alexisgarcia's review

mysterious medium-paced

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

0.25

this is one of the worst books i’ve read this year, and just in general. the plot is incredibly misleading. the very early “twist” should’ve been mentioned in the synopsis, if it was i never would’ve read this. i think books should 100% mention if there are supernatural aspects, because that is a huge part of the book and something i don’t usually enjoy. the characters were flat and none of them were tolerable. the major plot twist is incredibly silly and just juvenile to me. overall, i don’t think this was written well at all and it was just silly, and not in a good way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Stalking, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Violence, and Addiction

xoxogossiplaur's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Very interesting read. Different from what I usually read but still enjoyed it even though there were some disturbing parts. The story idea felt unique (to me) and was well executed. Translated pretty well to audio book format, which is how I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Murder, Death, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Animal death, and Blood

cytokine_storm's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

plumdustsuns's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I wished the section after she left the wedding was a bit grander. The epilogue felt a little… baseless. I wish the ending birthday party and all of that got more focus and time, especially with the family and Constance than the middle part after the wedding which meandered and wasn’t quite exciting to read. I almost wish she didn’t ‘leave’ the first time and all she found out about herself and not being loved by the family was set in the farm with the members. Her being the antichrist didn’t feel like it had weight or consequences until the party and maybe her going off on Kerri and George but I feel those moments would have had more effect if it was with Brody and Rosie instead of them just falling. Her realization of her power would have held more weight for her and the readers. I just feel like she the book had a lot more potential than what it came to by the end and overall. Had her life outside of the farm held more weight or been more ‘exciting’ to return to after the wedding, it would have made the middle section better and made me want to not stop reading. 
I wish we get a prequel on Constance. Intriguing. 
Also don’t know what I feel about the devil being so powerless against Vesper’s tantrum and powers on earth. Wish that was explored more as to why he needed her teeth and hair to walk on earth. Once again, more time with him and in the farm would have solved that. 
But the book had solid parts and I didn’t put it down long enough to stop reading it. Enjoyable but yes, I wish there was a bit more because the buildup to the climax didn’t feel like it had much emotional weight by then although it did.

Also what do you mean the devil wrote on an invitation with a black SHARPIE? A SHARPIE?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cannibalism, Violence, Gore, Murder, and Toxic relationship

karen_lo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.5

4.5 stars

Loved the story, the concept, and the protagonist who was so resilient despite all the things she goes through. 
I wish it was a bit longer cause I wanted to know more about certain characters, but overall was the perfect read for this spooky season!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Blood, Animal death, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Minor: Sexual harassment

aileron's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Body horror, and Death

Minor: Cannibalism and Eating disorder

starrysteph's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

A clever piece of comedic horror that takes complicated family dynamics to a whole new level.

Vesper left her isolated religious community at eighteen and is stumbling her way through adulthood a handful of years later, waitressing at chain restaurants and keeping everyone at a distance. But when she mysteriously receives an invitation to the wedding of her cousin & closest friend, she journeys home. Back to her callous film star mother, her crisis of faith, and the people she thought she would never see again. 

But as family secrets come to life, Vesper realizes she’ll have to face her community … and the truth of her upbringing.

I loved witnessing Vesper’s fight for independence, especially as more and more of her past memories are revealed. She’s cynical, sarcastic, and callous, but I found her likable and relatable. Her internal struggle is compelling, as she contemplates nature versus nurture and who she is outside of the bounds of family.

I do think the pacing was a bit off at times (too slow at the start - and too rushed in the second segment), and I would have loved more time exploring the family dynamics and getting to know the supporting characters. Constance (Vesper’s mom) in particular had a very choppy arc and I wanted to dig deeper there. 

It’s more dark humor than horror, though there are some supernatural elements (and a bit of gore) towards the final segments. Overall though, the tone is playfully sinister and it never takes itself too seriously. I really enjoy Rachel Harrison’s writing style - super easy to read and sarcastically delightful. 

CW: murder, animal death, blood, gaslighting, injury, gore, emotional abuse, fire, cannibalism, body horror, torture, grief, religious bigotry, abandonment, sexual harassment

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Torture, Grief, Abandonment, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment

lexigoyette's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, and Violence

mamawantsbooks's review

dark mysterious fast-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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic relationship

nonfictionfeminist's review

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

While the book takes its time to build to the climax, it still managed to be bingeable. Another solid bite of storytelling from Harrison. While YouI could see the twist coming with my eyes closed, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cannibalism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Animal death