Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

18 reviews

lauralintunen's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Car accident

agxxo's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit

Moderate: Murder and Car accident

maple_dove's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

Sawkill Girls is a feminist story similar by Stranger Things about three queer girls vs. a a scary monster.

Before reading this book, I read Extasia. The feminist and queer themes are definitely present in Sawkill Girls too. I liked this book throughout, but my favorite parts are after the halfway mark.

The asexual alloromantic and exes-to-friends representation was GREATTT!

However, there is one qualm I have about this book.

He had insisted on cleaning up the kitchen before turning in, otherwise the crusty layers of casserole on their late-night dinner plates would fester and haunt him, snickering in the kitchen while he lay awake staring at the ceiling.
The adorable little freak.

. . .

From what I know, the word freak is a pretty triggering word for the disabled community, because it implies that they are things to be feared.

⭐️ Favorite Quotes: 

"Can I once again apologize on behalf of men everywhere?" Grayson offered. "Because we can really fucking suck sometimes."
Zoey arched an eyebrow. "Sometimes?"
"Most of the time."
"There it is."

Marion couldn't imagine a God like the one she'd grown up hearing about--some man sitting in the clouds, maneuvering the pieces of the world to suit his whims because he, of course, knows best.
But she could imagine a God in the shape of an island crowned with trees, brooding in the middle of a black sea.

"I don't know what will happen to us once we get to the obscura. The book says he can't be killed--"
"Screw that book," said Val. "It was written by men." She held out her free hand to Marion. "We're rewriting it." (pg. 385-386)

Marion stood at the port side railing, her back to everyone and her black hair streaming out behind her--a dark queen, surveying the battlefield.

"What's wrong with you?" Zoey had never heard Valerie Mortimer's voice sound so unfinished. "None of this is necessary--"
"I will decide what is necessary!" howled Briggs, his grip tightening painfully around Zoey's arm. "This is the way it is done. This is the way our fathers taught us."
"Your fathers,"  Val replied, "were full of shit." (pg. 398)

"The Collector must feed. He must be banished from our world. So it has been done, and so it is done, and so it shall always be done."
"And so it shall always be done," repeated the men, reminding Zoey of the way Borg drones proclaimed they were going to assimilate you, that resistance was futile, that you were screwed and there was no way out, sorry about that.
[...]
But then Marion spoke.
"And so," she said, her voice low and serene, "it shall never done again." (pg. 398-399)

"It's not our job to save the world. It can't be. That's not fair."
"If it's not our job," Marion asked quietly, "whose is it?"

Hope, she thought, breathing with the tide, was a choice that only those with resolute hearts dared to make.

Stardust cares not for the agony of demons.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gore, Grief, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Death of parent, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Car accident, Drug use, Cancer, Vomit, Racism, and Suicide

Underage drinking (graphic), Verbal abuse (minor)

georman's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It had a fun diverse cast and an interesting premise. I will say that I had trouble pivoting from the body horror/spooky elements to the more emotional / romance elements, but that didn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment. Only ranking at 4.25 because I felt like the ending was a little weaker or was set up to be more tragic than it was. 

Spoilers: 

It was incredibly refreshing to see asexual representation and have it done as just part of the relationship of Zoey & Grayson. No big queer awakenings, just girls and a guy existing and figuring things out gently which was wonderful. 

When Marion pulled the hair out of her?? disgusting - physically recoiled, made me commit to the entire book I was so entranced. While I wish the ending / battle with the Collector was a little more gruesome or high stakes, the scenes with Val fighting him out of her were *chefs kiss*

I don't like that everyone in the main story lived ? It felt like at least Marion should have stayed "unmade" as the final sacrifice needed, but I understand that it wouldn't have been as happy of an ending doing that. That's just me though and frankly, I do enjoy the type of endings that wrap up all nice and sweetly its just that this book had enough scary in it for me to hope for a darker ending

Probably won't read it again anytime soon, but definitely going to recommend

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Abandonment, Classism, Racism, Vomit, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Body horror, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

emmaward55's review against another edition

dark sad tense

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

4.75

This book is perfect for anyone who loves the Charmed TV series and thought it could be scarier.

When I was on chapter four, my working theory was that the missing girls were being turned into horses by Val and her mum: But oh, it's so much darker than that. I love a good horror film, yet I found myself more creeped out in reading this book than I expected to be. Legrand's writing is evocative, tense, and atmospheric, without getting too bogged down in description. There's plenty of action and moments of good character growth throughout.

I read this book in two days, mostly in three long chunks, as I couldn't drag myself away to focus on anything else! I loved the complex relationships of our three protagonists and their characterisations have to be a highlight for me. Can't lie though, I’m sad that we didn’t get a reunion scene at the end between Marion and her mum. Considering that this is a book about female relationships, it feels weird to not include one of the protagonists interacting with the last present female parent of the trio. 

That being said, the above was my only real complaint. I'd certainly read this book again and I recommend it for anyone with a strong stomach!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Blood, Self harm, Child death, Violence, Torture, Animal death, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

Child death and kidnapping:

All are around 17

Self harm:

The only instance I remember is a character burning something off their skin, but it's done to save themselves and others

Drug abuse and suicidal thoughts:

A secondary character isn't trusted with their prescription medication, as a loved one suspects they might intentionally overdose. Nothing actually happens and it's just a brief mention.

oliverreeds's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

pretty good. the character relationships were stilted at the beginning. i didnt understand their motivations but it made sense at the end. i just wish there had been more friendship initially. would have provided a better foundation

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Police brutality, Self harm, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

danaslitlist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This is Stranger Things meets pure horror, a science fiction paranormal mystery. I didn’t know I needed or wanted that until now.

Sawkill Girls is best described as an emotional rollercoaster. From terrifying to melancholy to comedic the range of feelings I experienced reading this was far and wide. All these emotions tangled up wonderfully and as a result had my attention wrapped up in the story at every turn. 

The commentary on how men view girls as weapons to weird and tools to possess are so beautifully illustrated. I am also a sucker for any book where female characters group together to defend and support one soother, the solidarity immediate and unquestioned. Having three very different female characters interacting, even when there was distrust, in that way was refreshing. 



This book also has asexual and sapphic representation that was handled really well; it was the cherry  on top.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Animal death

Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, and Body horror

mooandshoe's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

I have really conflicting feelings about this book, I won’t lie. Overall, the themes and symbolism were incredible and the plot kept me wanting to know what happened next. However, the writing at the beginning was a little hard to get into. I won’t go into detail because I don’t want this to be hidden by a spoiler, but my biggest issue with the book was the sexual content with teenage characters. If the characters were adults, I wouldn’t care or even necessarily call it graphic but it was way more than should be written about characters who are underage. So, ethically, I feel a little conflicted about how I want to rate this book. 
However, this book is a beautiful examination of girlhood, patriarchy, good and evil, and how easily those things intertwine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Blood, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Acephobia/Arophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood