Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Ring Shout: Nuestro cántico by P. Djèlí Clark

265 reviews

susanatherly's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Grief

Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Murder

Minor: Slavery

wordsareworlds's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? No

5.0

This is a masterfully written alternate history cosmic horror. Clark reclaims space in a genre that has too often tried to force Black people into the role of monster, turning the mirror back on those racist tropes while celebrating Black culture and history in a multitude of ways. 

I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a face paced, gripping story that incorporates both mystical and actual horrors with a strong sense of heart.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol

dosxhime's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

nillech's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal death and Death

Minor: Sexual content

lady_bountiful's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

I really liked this story and the horror was on point. The writing style wasn't for me though. There were times I needed more to understand what was happening and the narration would jump past it. I understand this was done for a reason, and in some cases it worked great, but in others I struggled. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcohol and War

Minor: Sexual content and Slavery

kjtlion's review against another edition

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gore

jacob_dion's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

boba_nbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

4.5

If you're looking for a Lovecraftian horror mixed with black girl magic, you've found it in Ring Shout. 

I love how this novella blended history with fantasy to create a horrific yet captivating story. Our three main characters, who are black resistance fighters, go up against Ku Kluxes that are literally and figuratively demonic. Their hate has allowed them to be possessed by demons. 

The pacing was exceptional, and the characters were well-developed, which is especially impressive for this being a novella. As for the story itself, it is creative in its horror and informs the reader of the historical context of the KKK at the time--the 1920's. The audiobook gave me a cinematic experience where I could picture each character clearly in my mind. The writing is incredible, and I was thoroughly entertained by this novella. The only criticism I have of this story is that I wish it was longer. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence and Slavery

halcyon_nights's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

Really enjoyed going on this journey with the book. At first I wasn't used to the story written in spoken speech (specifically, AAVE) but I quickly got used to it and applaud the author's decision to write it that way. It felt like the main character, Maryse, was telling a story to the reader, no fluff. 

Despite its relatively short length, I was completely attached to the characters and the book made me tear up. I loved the way the story embodied the pure evil of the hatred of the KKK and cults/associations like them. They are so monstrous in their hate and the senselessness of it all. I'm super looking forward to getting to Djeli Clark's other work.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Violence

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Racial slurs