Reviews tagging 'Gore'

River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

2 reviews

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

1.5

I really wanted to like this. A whodunnit thriller with witches? Sign me up. I read it via the Libby/Overdrive Together We Read campaign in part because the description suggests that it's "perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic."

This was nothing like Mexican Gothic. 

First off, none of these characters are likeable. (Except perhaps the children, who also seem to perfect to be real.) Which like, whatever, that's kind of par for the course with thrillers. The issue is that it seems like the author wants us to like Eva. But I just did not. I don't necessarily agree with the many reviews that slam her for being a terrible mother (poor woman is being gaslit and traumatized, that would make it hard to parent), but she still isn't a particularly strong character outside of her parenting skills.

I also felt like the tone was just all over the place. One moment I'd be reading some really lovely, literary prose and the next she's calling Santa Muerte a bad bitch. I found it jarring and had trouble staying engaged. 

It also simply just drags. Part of what keeps a thriller going is how the mystery unravels chapter by chapter, but Eva is not trying to solve the mystery, so the whole second act just slogs. I almost DNFed at around 35-40%, but decided to give it a bit longer. I skimmed tons of the middle chapters, but was interested enough as the loose ends started to tie up to finish. Eva never really tries to solve anything, the evidence just lands in her lap and she pieces it together. It's an interesting twist, albeit a little predictable. But it honestly was not worth the slog.

All in all, River Woman River Demon has such and a m a z i n g concept, but it's very poorly executed, which is disappointing. I don't necessarily regret reading and finishing it, but I wouldn't do it again. What the author has to say about racial injustice, especially in the legal system, in this book is important, but it was not an effective vehicle for it. Proceed with caution, and definitely check trigger warnings if you decide to give this book a go.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Murder

Moderate: Gore, Blood, Alcohol, Racism, Body horror, Cursing, Police brutality, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Addiction, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Ableism, Body shaming, Stalking, Medical content, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

hgunsch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

amazing book really. docking a quarter point for so many descriptions of child breasts?? that felt weird to me.

plot was amazing, not the kind of book I typically reach for but it had me hooked from the beginning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, Child death, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Blood, Homophobia, Stalking, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Animal death