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charlesbiglythethird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual violence and War
naomidanae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wasn't expecting sexual explicitness in this novella, and I do think those scenes have a place, but the juxtaposition of that with everything else that happens in the book is a bit off-putting. Being a survivor of sexual assault is not incongruous with still having desire by any means, but these scenes happened so quickly and suddenly that I wondered if they could have been handled a little more carefully or with a bit more nuance instead.
Some quotes:
"The forest whispered around him with a thousand holy mouths. As Woolf had written, Everything, in fact, was something else."
"He'd been a raw-blooded young thing once, and he understood the sweetness—the genuine security—of revenge. He even understood the desire to keep one's hometown, but the thing was, he also understood how dangerous Stevie's path of resistance would be. Sometimes survival meant ripping loose those domestic roots."
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
herelieshenry's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, and War
meagan123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Medical content, and Abortion
Minor: Sexual violence
kat42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape and Abortion
justacowboy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Abortion, and War
Minor: Pregnancy
chantaal's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual assault and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape
sammy357's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault and Abortion
blacksphinx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and War
courtneys_shelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book is not for everyone. But it is for some very specific people who will cherish it.
The book is graphic, both sexually and with regards to violence. It is a dark, dark novella. It begins slowly, but when it picks up, it REALLY picks up, and I didn’t want to put it down.
Leslie is a trans man serving in the Frontier Nursing Service in rural Appalachia in 1929. When he is assigned a post in a small, religiously zealous town, he struggles not only achieve the medical ends he wants to achieve to help the people of Spar Creek, but also to find ways to help Stevie, a young man with whom Leslie thinks he may have much in common. As trouble between Leslie and the town grows, so does the sense that something supernatural is afoot.
If you you can stomach the intensity, this book has much to say about belonging, revenge, and religious zealotry.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War