Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

30 reviews

rachelunabridged's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

While I didn't feel like this book was on the same level as The Twisted Ones or The Hollow Places, I still really enjoyed it! I love Kingfisher's classic horror retellings. Her style is horrifying, but also witty and fun. Absolutely recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Alcohol, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Gun violence, War, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexism and Suicide

m_petranoff's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

A delightfully horrifying read, not for the faint of heart when it comes to body horror. Intertwined with the creeping sense of dread and masterful pacing are intriguing snippets of worldbuilding and a likable, quick narrator.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Body horror

Moderate: War and Gore

Minor: Sexism

body horror includes zombie-like possession or parasites

minervacerridwen's review against another edition

dark mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I was delighted by "What Moves the Dead" from the start. I love the sarcastic writing style and the characters (Easton, Miss Eugenia Potter, Hob the horse!!!), and the non-binary history is brilliantly integrated. This develops into a properly creepy tale, but I guess that just like with the original "The Fall of the House of Usher", the ending feels a little... too easy? It makes sense for a retelling, of course, but I feel like so much more could have been explored if it hadn't been pushed into the mould of the old classic (mould pun not even intended).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Sexism, Suicide, and War

tomatocultivator's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror and Sexism

Minor: Suicide

vaguely_pink's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Animal death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Transphobia, War, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Vomit

schnaucl's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It wasn't for me and that's okay.   I haven't read the story it's based on, The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe Short Story, but I suspect I wouldn't care for the original either. 

There were things I really liked.  The characters were compelling, particularly Easton and Ms. Potter.   

I would have loved to learn even more about Gallacia. I think the idea of a country with seven sets of pronouns, including one reserved for inanimate objects, one for priests and prepubescent children, one for soldiers and one exclusively for God is fascinating.   And I love the detail about the slight hesitation before using what we would consider traditional pronouns for a child getting a spy caught.  (It has no bearing on the story, it's just  a detail about the history of the country).  I really want a story set in Gallacia some day.

I also liked the doctor, August, and Hob, of course.  

The illustration of the hare in the end papers was pretty cool, too.

Anyway, I don't think it's a book problem, I think it's a me problem. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Terminal illness, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: War, Misogyny, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Sexism, Vomit, Alcohol, and Gore

kuri's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

T. Kingfisher is one of the only authors that can make me feel uneasy... and make me want to clean my whole apartment with alcohol from top to bottom 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Terminal illness

Moderate: War and Alcohol

Minor: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, and Suicide

jessthanthree's review

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Animal death

Moderate: War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Medical content, Alcohol, Terminal illness, and Gore

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

atlas_shruggs's review

dark funny mysterious 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

2024 review
 Reading this book again had me glaring skeptically at the fine hairs on my arms. Shivers. Easton is still so fucking funny holy shit, they are fully me if I was in a horror novel, constantly firing out sarcastic quotes and beautifully stereotyping Europeans and Americans. I'm still sad that it isn't longer but now that it has a sequel I can't complain.

2022 review
This was just a well written, eerie read that I could barely put it down. 
Essentially, the book is a retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, but I felt like it was so so much more than that. Just before reading this I listened to the audio book of the original story, and it definitely felt like it was lacking in so much substance. I get that it's an older short story, but much like T. Kingfisher, I felt myself wishing there was more to it than just "Guy visits creepy house, people die," and this did exactly that. 
Easton was such a great narrator, having ka as the main character gave the reader more of a soldier's insight into what was going on, and getting the flashes of the horrors Easton experienced in the war really added to the gory factor of the story itself. 
Also, just having a nonbinary character in a horror story set in the 1890's is such a rare occurrence, but having them be the main character? It felt revolutionary. It added so much in regards to gender roles, which Miss Potter's character did as well. 
This was also way way funnier than I expected. Easton's sarcasm was so hilarious, I found myself openly laughing more than once. 
If there was anything I would change, I would have wanted the book to be longer, but I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and War

bibliophage_teamage's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

Kingfisher sparks the Gothic genre anew here. It glows like an algae on the page, illuminating the imagination with spindly webs. I devoured this book, and my only criticism is that there isn’t more. Easton in this novella is a fully fleshed out character, and the edit to make kan (a soldier pronoun) Gender Queer. It was a wonderful surprise and brilliantly executed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Body horror

Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexism, Self harm, and Suicide

Minor: Transphobia