Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz

4 reviews

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infertility, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Ableism, Violence, Rape, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual content

jmcordero's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Self harm

Minor: Blood, Infidelity, and Incest

mezzano's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Milk Blood Heat is exquisitely written, with a tight understanding of language creating an entrancing reading experience. I went into this book blind, as I had heard that this collection of stories were examples of beautiful prose but nothing of its contents. Before I can recommend this book to anyone, be aware that these stories are dark and at times horrific. Moniz's stories deserve to be sipped and ruminated on, rather than read quickly in one sitting.

Although each story is written expertly, it's likely that a couple stories will linger in your mind more than others. The story about a woman grieving after her miscarriage and another woman realizing her child is in a romantic relationship with her teacher in particular stand out a day or two after reading the book. Readers should be warned that while these stories do have a beginning, middle, and end, their resolutions are at times not as clear or complete as some may hope for. (The open ended nature of these stories are part of the reason that each story should be dissected and interpreted by the reader before starting the next one.)

For readers who are fans of horror elements or literary fiction, this book is certain to live up to expectations. For a debut short story collection especially, Milk Blood Heat is a triumph. Despite its taboo elements described in the book, it's clearly capable of hooking its readers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Religious bigotry

_lia_reads_'s review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Racism, Infertility, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, and Pedophilia