Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

19 reviews

yuyine's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

4.75

Rivers Solomon nous offre à nouveau un roman surprenant, intense et marquant qui questionne de nombreuses thématiques avec force dans une intrigue mêlant SF, thriller, drame et weird fiction. Maternité, transformation psychologique et physique, amour queer, émancipation, rapport à la terre et au passé, oppressions et éducation sont autant de veines qui parcourent un récit puissant et organique qui ne peut pas laisser indifférent.  

Critique complète sur yuyine.be!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Religious bigotry, Racism, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Animal death, Blood, and Sexual content

Moderate: Murder, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Violence, Cannibalism, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Drug use, Child abuse, and Rape

melliedm's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Medical content, Self harm, Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, Child abuse, Colonisation, Police brutality, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Hate crime

breeezzy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcoholism and Slavery

skudiklier's review against another edition

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

4.75

I don't really like horror, so I was really hesitant going into this book, and only read it for a book club. But I'm glad I did; though it was definitely dark and at times upsetting, it was also really good. I was fascinated by what was happening, and some of the twists really got me. This is the second book I've read by this author and I definitely think I'll look into their other work. 

Also, vague spoilers for the ending, but

I was pleasantly surprised by how happy the ending was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Stalking, Sexism, Torture, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Violence, Homophobia, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Slavery, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Hate crime, Child death, Transphobia, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Suicide and Racial slurs

laguerrelewis's review

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

This book is beautiful. It is not an easy read. It gets rough, and dirty, and depressing, but it is ultimately beautiful. Rivers Solomon seems keenly aware of this, and they do a masterful job weaving this story. If you think you’re ready for it, please do yourself the hard kindness of reading this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

kylieqrada's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

EXCUSE ME, WHAT?!?!? Rivers Solomon is truly one of the best authors in the game, as is evidenced by the fact that I picked up this book, a horror novel, just because it is by them. I was not disappointed in any way shape or form, however I do have a lot of feelings and I do not know how to process them. The only reason I am giving this four stars is because I am basing my rating on pure enjoyment (there was one sex scene that involved acts that were triggering for me personally), but please know that the writing and literary value absolutely deserves five stars. I am Rivers Solomon trash, and I am not worthy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Homophobia

dominikag's review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Child death, Self harm, and Sexual assault

natalieba's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

liteartha's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.25

i've absolutely never read a thing like sorrowland. it's an ambitious, bizarre, beast of a novel that left me both thoroughly enthralled and thoroughly horrified in turn.

we follow vern — young, pregnant, and fleeing the abusive cult in which she was raised — as she escapes into the woods to make a new life away from the clutches of cainland and her husband, the cult’s leader. she’s pursued, haunted, and leads a life of constant survival with her twin babies, whom she names howling and feral. as time passes, vern finds the bizarre lingering effects of her time in cainland aren’t fading, and even stranger still, she herself seems to be changing in some terrifying and inexplicable way⁣.

set in contemporary america, sorrowland paints an unflinching portrait of exactly what brutality the nation is built on and how that legacy of violence carries on today, particularly in its treatment of Black and Indigenous peoples.

solomon’s writing is gorgeous and the tale at its centre is deeply unsettling. it's a gothic, fantastical, ride packed with social commentary and critique. there's also a wealth of varied representation and exploration of identity in terms of race, sexuality, gender, and disability, all within a very small cast of characters.

the pacing did lull somewhat in parts, there were some side characters that didn't feel fully realised and some smaller ones that seemed as good as forgotten on page (possibly an arc issue), and the last few chapters felt rather rushed, leaving me with a number of questions in the end, but on the whole this book was brilliant and i'd happily purchase a finished copy to reread, ponder over, and quote the living hell out of.

thank you to netgalley and mcd for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review

tw:

racism/colonialism, ableism, cults, childbirth, blood, gore, animal cruelty and killing, pedophilia, homophobia/internalized homophobia, death/child death, drowning, self harm, medical trauma, body horror, medical trauma, child abuse, domestic abuse, slurs, mutilation, cannibalism, suicide, rape, AIDS, mention of cancer, drug/alcohol abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs