Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill

13 reviews

aparker89's review

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Bullying, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Mental illness

chaoticblade5's review

It has very frustrating formatting, chapters are often a page long. There's A LOT of content warnings for this book, and a fetishization of Lovecraft without too much in terms of actual Lovecraftian horror. I looked up to see if there were more content warnings for this book, and it has stuff that I'm just not willing to deal with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse, Stalking, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Physical abuse, Abortion, and Medical content

The book opens with

a 7 year-old collecting the suicide notes of his older sister, and the nonchalance tone about serious topics like this is kept with what I've currently read.

a_novel_craving's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Child death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

kittykaz's review against another edition

This was written by A Man. And he kept referencing Lovecraft.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death

zedihunter's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Cursing, and Cancer

Minor: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship

mangotwist's review against another edition

Jesus Christ. I thought it was just going to be a story about a dysfunctional family that sees monsters but clearly I was wrong. it is very weird and it got to the point where I just couldn't bear to read it any more. Why put that part in? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts

gfrankensteinem's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I really liked this book and the writing. However, DEFINITELY check out the content warnings section. There's a lot to be cautious of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

roadesntoades's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.25

A strange conglomeration of horror, fairytale, and depressing reality this book really takes you across all genres it seems and leaves you at the end asking, where is the rest. Something that the author does on purpose. Throughout the book you are teased as to who or what the antagonist is, why it is Noah, why his family is involved to reach a somewhat titled ended.

While I think the ending of him taking the place of his family and becoming apart of the City is twist that seems obvious yet shocking is is what he ends his narrative with that sticks even more.“Oh God. It hurts.” And that’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. We are even told my him he wanted to end the story where it ends, not where it is happy. Something I think is refreshing in horror, with authors usually be afraid to let their drama end not in bright hopeful joy but reality that this is going to hurt.

. My only real critique is that it seems to use sex as a shock and awe tactic to up some of the horror or confusion as to end.

There is pedophilia, grooming, statutory rape, homophobia, religious trauma, dubious consent; among other triggers that just don’t get a build up to or a warning or notion it was going to happen. <spoiled>. All in all I enjoyed it, except the surprise

monster fucking

like I coulda used a basic ass warning for that

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Sexual content, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Infidelity

Minor: Ableism, Abandonment, Lesbophobia, and Incest

trailmixraisins's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

What if monsters were not just our imagination but living alongside us, watching us? A creepy story of Lovecraftian horror that follows a family for three generations.

The sexual turn it took about three-quarters of the way in was kind of gross and off-putting. I would've enjoyed it much more without that aspect.

The world-building was a little weak, but it was mostly cohesive throughout.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Sexual content

Moderate: Car accident, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Kidnapping

Minor: Death, Gore, Grief, Torture, and Mental illness

redus_reuse_recycle's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion