Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Don't Fear The Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

73 reviews

suncourts's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

elysianbud's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

"...many sequels have surpassed their original!"
"Name one!"

The answer: 'Don't Fear the Reaper'.

He's only gone and Terminator 2/Aliens/The Godfather Part 2'd us. One has to wonder if Stephen Graham Jones did this on purpose--the ultimate meta callback to Scream 2's classroom scene about sequels, because this sequel is better than the original.

Yet another incredibly fun ode to slashers, in my opinion, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' far exceeds its predecessor. I found the plot easier to follow, the characters more alive (until they're dead), and overall more entertaining. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Murder, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, and Animal death

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Classism, Medical trauma, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Medical content

atomicbritt's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Violence

rachelnoel's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Blood, Violence, and Gore

briarrosec's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Gore

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Sexual assault

krspangl's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Gore, Violence, and Pedophilia

ghost_story's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Moderate: Self harm, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

ehmannky's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

Stephen Graham Jones is such a spectacularly talented writer I and it is such a treat to read a sequel better than the first installment. I honestly think it's better than My Heart Is A Chainsaw--something about Jade and her crew being grown up and them dealing with this trauma and violence that is at the heart of the American West and the small towns just hit right. And I didn't know if I would love the multiple character POV, but it worked so well. It also had these moments of dark humor that made me chuckle amongst the horror that I just loved (Jade being indignant about a slasher using a gun was very good). 

My only criticism is that I felt that the fantastical element was as seamlessly integrated into the plot as it was in the last one. But I'm so excited for the third book in this series it's been so good so far. 

On a reread I agree with everything me from a year ago said, but I think this is book, like the first in the series, improves on a rereading. Knowing the twists in the plot makes it really fun to see the foreshadowing for the reveal for what it was.

I also missed this on the first read through, but the way Dark Mill South is continually compared with at least vaguely physically resembling Tab Daniels just makes it fit in so well with the slasher genre of the Big Bad Slasher rising from his grave for the sequel. Also, Jade's mom hits so hard because it's a woman who tries to protect her daughter but is ultimately too weighed down by her ineffectiveness, her unrealized dreams, to actually be a protector. I think reading this one so soon after rereading the first one really just made her death a lot more meaningful than I found it the first time through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Body horror, Murder, Torture, Violence, Death, Gore, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, and Self harm

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

mgsl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture