Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

79 reviews

itsjustgrumpy's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

The concept of the Wendigo and the 'sematary' is great... but the slow and laboured execution and anticlimactic ending really soured this book for me. I had to listen at x1.5 to actually finish it. Meh.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Violence, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, and Gore

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Alcohol

cursedepub's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Echoing another reviewer - I had kind of brushed this book aside as I am not generally interested in animal-oriented stories in any genre, nor do I particularly care for zombies in horror. But I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by how simply GOOD this novel was. King's prose is excellent, very immersive and evocative but still neat and tight, without bloat. 

I find the greatest strength of the book to be the sheer power and punch of the story's emotional beats.  I am not typically scared by horror but I connected very strongly with the depictions of dread in the early part of the novel

(Paxcow's death and Creed's succeeding nighttime stroll, the sense of wrongness and hints of possible deception or ill intent from Jud)

. And the reveal that

Gage would die in less than 2 months

literally knocked the wind out of me - what a perfect set-up of emotional high to emotional low. The sheer human ugliness and depth of the family's

grief

afterwards is genuinely gutting. 

At the end of the day the true horror of the book is in the fact that it is a tragedy, and like all the best tragedies, you simply cannot look away.

Like Creed himself,

you try to convince yourself up to the very end that maybe things will be different this time, but you probably already know how this story will end. 

I do find the actual Pet Sematary to be kind of underutilized by simply being the "front door," so to speak, to the true cemetery. The lore and mysticism could have been better-developed. However, truly a great and standout horror novel. I get the hype now.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Animal death, and Child death

pholcidae's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Aside from the casual racism (using outdated terms for Native American people and unnecessarily bringing people’s skin colour to attention), a near-flawless book.

The story is paced perfectly and I have been reading it nonstop. The author’s use of language to create suspense and terror is reminiscent of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 

This was my first King novel and I think it was the perfect one to start on! Very tense and lots of fun easter eggs in there :)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Animal death, Child death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Murder, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Abandonment, Infidelity, and Cursing

Minor: Vomit, Cancer, War, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Excrement, Dementia, Misogyny, Sexism, Addiction, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Religious bigotry

ee_comins's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Animal death, Grief, Violence, Gore, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty

alixsbooktherapy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book had me needing therapy afterwards stephen king I'll see you at my next appointment, this book will have you questioning your decisions I now know why this known as his most frightening book I just wish it was more realistic like the cops would of showed up multiple times if this actually happened this book is not for the weak I buddy read this with Emily and holy I hope she's okay🤣

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Suicide, Sexual content, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Death, Blood, Child death, Vomit, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Body horror, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Grief, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail

mickraine's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Alcohol, Animal death, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Body horror, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, and Murder

Minor: Incest and War

heatheri's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Any time I had, I couldn't put it down. A must read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Cannibalism, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Child death, Blood, Medical content, and Violence

rat_leoo's review

dark emotional tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Child death, Death, Medical content, Animal death, Murder, Violence, and Gore

angst_of1's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

A really good book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Blood

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Suicide and Sexual content

maddsonny's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Pacing of book is great. Judd is a very likable character, I loved him reading this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Child death, Grief, Animal death, Murder, Car accident, Medical trauma, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Cursing