Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

96 reviews

ruthmoog's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.75

This gave me chills. Once I was invested I whizzed through the story, whisked up by the relentless challenge to overcome the vampiric.

The group use their women's work skills to fight, but this was a bit cliché for me - and you could play content warning bingo with it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Vomit, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Car accident

Nazism

aardwyrm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Like having your teeth pulled out by barbed wire, but they're really polite about it. There is a very scary vampire, but, you know how all good horror is about the unnatural threat AND the real ones? There's more dread in a cocktail party with friendly acquaintances than in most of the scenes with, you know, vampirism. The book juggles its time and place, both as a setting dripping with dread and with a comfortable, sympathetic gentleness that never actually lets anybody off the hook (though Mrs. Green is really much too forgiving in the last act). Does a really interesting job with being horribly physical about the most mundane and most otherworldly manifestations of gore alike. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

I liked this book, but it's billed as more horror comedy, and I do want to be clear, the horrible parts are gonna hit.

booksnooksandcooks's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.25

Do you ever read a book and afterwards, take a moment to pause and reflect how it was so clearly written by a white man? Truly, this was one of those moments.

I would like to personally thank whoever told me this book would be great for my thesis. On one hand, it gave me nothing. On the other hand, it gave me everything. The religious aspect was weak. The sexual violence of vampirism? Chock full. I especially hated the unnecessary rape scene and sexual aspects of the bloodletting.

And especially the white saviorhood combined with the strong black woman trope. Please, please, I beg of you, let black women have agency outside of a white woman's story. The whole "these rich white Southern ladies discover the meaning of true friendship and racism" schtick was just not it! Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, this will be part of the thesis.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

lesbegays's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

for the first few chapters i almost forgot this was a horror novel because i was so invested in these housewives’ drama. but then things got dark FAST. i don’t think i’ve ever been angrier at a fictional character than i was at the husbands in this book. if i could have skinned them all alive i would have. i HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. 
side note: it is so nice reading a book set in south carolina????? like, i know the towns they’re talking about! they shop at bi-lo!!! the bit about the whole town being busy watching the clemson v. carolina game!!!!! is this what people who live in states that are more frequently featured in fiction feel like all the time??? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity

jenniferroach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse

noteleks_terces's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting

claresbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

3 out of 5 stars.

The more I'm thinking about it, the more this book just made me feel sad. Like, the horror was good but the real horror was the absolute level of gaslighting the main character had to endure from everyone around her.

The true monster of this book wasn't the vampire; it was the misogyny of almost all the characters.

Also, trigger warning for my next points because this book contains multiple r*pes.

Did not need a full description of the 17 year old whilst she was being assaulted. Nor was there a need for two separate descriptions of the other r*pe that happens in this book. There are ways of including distressing topics like these in books without doing so in graphic detail.

Definitely not one of Hendrix's better works...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting

heypretty52's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

jessthanthree's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Drug abuse, and Pedophilia

laurenkristine's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent