Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda

58 reviews

catmisae's review

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

3.75

I appreciated how the author depicted each character’s unique distress at the erosion of their own sense of identity as an autonomous person. I took a point and change off the star rating because I feel like the story kind of trailed off at the end. Fans of Fight Club would probably enjoy this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Self harm

Minor: Animal death and Child death

slawgreensss's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death and Sexual assault

fernandaptln's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Incest, and Stalking

Minor: Animal death

mondovertigo's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Lesbophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Gun violence

janae's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Hmmmm as a horror newbie it's hard for me to know how to judge. For writing I give it 5 stars, and a solid 4 stars for story. For the horror element it was definitely unsettling.

A lot of talk about teenage sexuality and genitals, very unsettling and uncomfortable

So for horror I would give it a 3-4, I def had the heebeejeebies. 

Overall, I recommend this to any woman/woman aligned or perceived person who has been in a toxic ass friendship with another woman, especially as a teenager. That shit was a little too relatable! Also all the horror around the mother-daughter relationship made me want to nevvver have a kid.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Bullying and Gun violence

kmacdo23's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This novel is a revelation, a scream trapped in the throat of a teenage girl, a rosary made of strangers' teeth. One that I would pray upon, with reverence. This is a lesson I would sit through again. This is a volcano errupting and there's nowhere you can go to escape. I was so unsettled. I was held so tenderly by this story.

Welcome to The White Age. Explore the horrors of teenage girlhood. The horrors of womanhood. This novel twists the relief of being recognized as the fucked up girl that you are with the religions of desire and violence. 

What would you do for someone you love as the other half of yourself,  the completion of you? Everything? Everything, and all the brutality that implies. 

What is a scary story, a monster, a fear, but something kept alive by the same unwitting people that fall victim to its effect. Come see what you could keep alive. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

natashasacks's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship

elisascrive's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Found myself gnashing at the end without even realising. It always keeps you on the edge. Not a five-star read just because I thought the ending would be much more devastating. Still, the rest of the book is a masterpiece of language and flow. 

It is not an easy read though, very explicit with toxic relationships all over. Motherhood and "sisterhood" are extremely relevant to the whole story and plot, with graphic depictions scattered throughout the novel.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

Minor: Alcohol

meika_one's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book is very atmospheric and literary.  It explores the emotional substrate of how people process fear and terror.  There aren't any supernatural elements, so it read as psychological thriller to me.  Similar to Apt Pupil, but more cosmic.  It skates on the blade edge of innocence.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

seawarrior's review against another edition

dark tense

5.0

Endlessly disturbing and breathtakingly creative, Jawbone is a story of adolescent daring and purity that descends into violence. Ojeda's use of language, bodily disgust, and topical pop culture references create a story that is unique to the point of mythological. The horror draws the reader in and then clamps down its teeth, culminating in an ending soaked in madness and terror. One of the greatest horror stories I've ever read, and not recommended for the faint of heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Death of parent, Outing, and Sexual harassment