Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

14 reviews

ecn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.75

Nothing about this story was resolved and not in a fun way. So much and so little happened that it dragged on. Easily could have been half the length. I wanted to know SO much more about every character and we were given nothing. I felt like i was a therapist sitting with a client trying to help them organize their stories and getting nowhere. The flashbacks were disjointed and only added to the trauma and grief that ran through everything but never fulling etching into to the main character’s personality, only explaining why she’s shut off.
The ending also seemed extremely abrupt. Too much was trying to be resolved in a matter of DAYS and the characters glossed over so much and so much was implied that it seemed impossible and unrealistic for them to be how things would unfold.
This book had so much promise but ended up falling so flat. I wanted more for and of every character but wasn’t given a fraction (felt very indicative of how they were treated I’m sure - maybe it’s stylistic).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Death, and Alcohol

charlieeee's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Suicide, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cancer, Vomit, and Pregnancy

stayathomereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Blood

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

leah_alexandra's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a really good read. Not enjoyable, necessarily (way too many descriptions of the taxidermy process for that), but it was well-written and interesting. Arnett has a great talent for description, whether it be of animal dissection or a backyard wedding.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, and Suicide