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maryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Miscarriage, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Self harm, and Grief
booksthatburn's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
BREAKABLE THINGS is a poignant and visceral collection of stories which end poised on the cusp of something fantastic or terrible, as raw as new grief, haunting like ghosts.
Each story is set in its own world, built from nothing in a few pages and immediately compelling. The main characters rarely have names, their essences are distinct and wonderous without the need for tiny labels. Their stories spill forth as their insides are offered up, with literal and metaphorical viscera pouring out, flayed flesh as common as emotions laid bare.
"Don’t Turn on The Lights" is a strong start to the collection, with an inexorable slide from a bloody and spooky story into something stranger and more horrifying than simple, gory, murder in the dark. My favorite two are "A Leash of Foxes, Their Stories Like Barter" and "Monologue of an unnamed mage, recorded at the brink of the end", but I like every story in the collection. "In the Rustle of Pages" will stay with me for a while, I think.
Each story is set in its own world, built from nothing in a few pages and immediately compelling. The main characters rarely have names, their essences are distinct and wonderous without the need for tiny labels. Their stories spill forth as their insides are offered up, with literal and metaphorical viscera pouring out, flayed flesh as common as emotions laid bare.
"Don’t Turn on The Lights" is a strong start to the collection, with an inexorable slide from a bloody and spooky story into something stranger and more horrifying than simple, gory, murder in the dark. My favorite two are "A Leash of Foxes, Their Stories Like Barter" and "Monologue of an unnamed mage, recorded at the brink of the end", but I like every story in the collection. "In the Rustle of Pages" will stay with me for a while, I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Violence, Torture, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Child death, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, Drug use, Cancer, Animal cruelty, War, Excrement, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Self harm, Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol
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