Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

20 reviews

nutmegandpumpkin's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

The author did a fantastic job with the actual horror aspects & overall creepiness. The characters were OK but not entirely likable apart from the younger sister IMO. The writing was also just okay with the exception of a couple of great lines sprinkled here and there. The story felt VERY slow yet some of the aspects felt rushed at the end. 

I’m honestly having a hard time pinpointing how I feel about this book. I found it somewhat enjoyable but not extremely memorable. I think the potential is there but it didn’t quite reach it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Car accident, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Alcohol

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.75

SO much going on all at once, and not balanced very well. I think I would have liked the different narrative elements individually or if they had been melded more effectively (because a haunted house that is so both literally and as a deeper allegory for the lingering legacy of colonialism -- if that is the intention -- is conceptually great), but it just feels like it's trying to be several different things mashed haphazardly into one. Super overwritten as well, and yet at the same time basically everything that should be shown is told and vice versa.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, and War

Fungal/parasitic infection. Insects, insect death. Sleep paralysis.

heatherinthenether's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is a delightfully unsettling thriller that explores family and love, societal expectations, culture and history, colonization and generational trauma. It's a powerful and truly haunting story that stays with you long after you finish the book. For anyone with a bug phobia, this is not the book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Blood, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

fjalar's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Homophobia

hobbithopeful's review

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? No

4.75

Sapphic colonization horror!?? LIKE WHAT! This was such an engaging and creepy read. I couldn't put it down, even as I had goosebumps from the suffocating imagery. I don't think there are many authors that can pull off writing about race and colonisation for a horror book, but  Trang Thanh Tran NAILED it! I am a grade A weenie, so this wasn't too scary for me to read. I was guessing the whole time, and I loved the twists and turns. 
I absolutely loved how race was talked about, it was just done so well and seamlessly. Honestly still cracking up about the line "this woman has a PHD in colonization.." . Jade feels so out of place in Vietnam, like a banana she mentions, and honestly I relate so much to her with my own race struggles. 
Also this book is sapphic!  
A truly creepy and tense tale about a hungry house, and too many bugs!
If you like thriller books you will definitely like this one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death

aformeracceleratedreader's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Not my fave haunted house book but not bad. Things I liked - the setting, the exploration of complicated family, discussion of colonialism and the erasure (and trying to memorialize) of those who were colonized, the cover art . Things I didn't care for- jade as a character, all the freaking bugs (like I liked them as a horror element but I don't like bugs haha).
I would be willing to read more from this author even though I didn't love this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Racism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, and Gaslighting

starsincline's review

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Racism, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

This is a pretty solid YA haunted house story. There are some really effective scares in here and I loved the Vietnamese setting, but sometimes feelings and character motivations got a bit lost in the flowery writing and the romance didn't really work for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Gaslighting, and War

Bugs

booksthatburn's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Vomit

kayelina's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death and Gore

Minor: Racism, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

insects