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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

38 reviews

monsterofidaho's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

In a way, reading The Hellbound Heart feels like a dissection. He peels apart layer after layer of skin, sometimes clinical, sometimes crazed, sometimes both at the same time. Piece by piece, Barker reveals one plane after another and raises the stakes each time until, if you're like me, you'll have to remind yourself to slow down and actually read the book instead of skimming in a panic to find out what is even going on. Spooky and surreal, this classic will haunt any reader until the bitter end -- and, depending on your perspective, for some time afterward.

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flowtjo's review against another edition

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4.5

Harlan Ellison WISHES he could write short horror like this. Just a nasty lil book - and I LOVE it. The writing is excellent and the plot is great. Straight to the point and didn't overstay its welcome. Author managed to put sex in as a plot device, and not just to gratify but with actual purpose?? Oh my.
More, MORE!!

Content Warnings

barrybj's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Content Warnings

clayby's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The Hellbound Heart, by Clive Barker

No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.

I just finished reading a few minutes ago, and I think my heart's still pumping fast at the time of writing this, haha.

The Hellbound Heart is a well-written, horrific story, filled with gore, interesting lore, and scary, badass, esoteric, inter-dimensional beings. It's a bit on the short side (it's a novella, after all), but boy does it pack a punch. I've loved Hellraiser for a long time, but like my other spooky October read (Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein), I feel like this book ended up being in a league of its own compared to the film/s.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Clive Barker's works, especially those related to The Hellbound Heart, and I hope more people begin to recognize what Mr. Barker has brought to the table.

Content Warnings

pn__'s review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

Content Warnings

perthalus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

Will write review later.

Content Warnings

regaliaofchaos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

Content Warnings

lukes_ramblingwritings66's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Cool little novella that started the Hellraiser film series. The first chapter is kind of funny in the sense but the tension does pick up from there, with the grotesque details being sprinkled here and there throughout. I did appreciate how Barker describes the weather because imagine my chagrin when after I read a passage like “it was raining for 72 hours” only to look up and it’s sunny and hot here in SoCal. Anyways, highly recommend if someone wants a short little horror read for the spoopy season. I’d probably check it out a library instead as the printing job on this edition is kinda shitty.

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sphinxofblackquartz's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Content Warnings

glace's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

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