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pclairx's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Fatphobia
locke_reads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Torture, Addiction, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
b_barnes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Fatphobia
melchncookies's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Rape, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Fatphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
hayleys_comment's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Technical-goodness aside, I have a some mixed feelings about Hill’s work. The book’s a bit like Dracula, in that every once and a while, there will be a scene that really grabs you, or a line that makes your pulse pound. Everything in-between is just background noise. Of the (roughly) 700 pages, only a handful are memorable.
If you’re not sure whether this book is for you, here are a few things to consider:
1. The novel relies heavily on themes of sexism, sexual assault, and child abuse. There are a few scenes that feature existential/body horror, but they’re less prevalent.
2. Hill is fantastic at scene descriptions. When he’s describing something cool, it’s awesome. Really, really awesome. When he’s describing something gross, it’s visceral. And this novel gets gross. Really, really gross. Nothing too crazy for a horror novel, but it’s definitely worth mentioning, especially with point #1.
3. Ask yourself this: could you ever think of Christmas as something strange, or scary? If the answer is no, you’ll have a hard time suspending your disbelief. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try, but it may have an effect on how you engage with Hill’s story. Christmasland is a big deal.
4. If you’re hesitant, check the content warnings. Seriously. There’s no shame in saying, “this isn’t for me,” or, “not right now.” You can always come back later.
Bonus:
The audio book, narrated by Kate Mulgrew, is absolutely bonkers. 10/10. If you’re an audio person, you’re in for a treat.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gun violence
oenophile_bibliophile's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Fatphobia
cleverkrowreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Violence, Animal death, Self harm, Addiction, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Torture
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent
emilyspex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There were long stretches where I enjoyed this book, but I would really struggle to recommend it to anyone.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Self harm, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Rape, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
savanapavlak's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Body horror
livbarry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I can’t say that I didn’t have a fun time reading this, though. The great thing about the book’s length is that it’s so dense that it’s easy to forget about the flaws until they pop up again. Its length intimidated me, but I whipped through it SO quickly.
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction and Animal death