Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Ruins

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

duke_elligos's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

It's hard to put this book down, it draws you in and doesn't let go.
It is raw and brutal, even though it's not overly grotesque, if you're used to the genre. The characters are far from perfect, they make mistake after mistake, and yet it feels like things anyone could do.
Also, if you've watched the movie, don't worry, it's nothing like it.

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add_a_little_spook's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense slow-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

3.75

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doomluz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

Interesting horror novel. Really good body horror. The characters are ok.

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gellyreads's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-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

3.0

I am so conflicted about this book. It is genuinely scary and gross, but the characters are so bland, boring, and just terrible people. And I know they’re all terrible ish, but the portrayal of the women also just rubbed me the wrong way.

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gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Horror Summer Camp Book Club / June Pick

The Details:
Narrated by Patrick Wilson
Unabridged

I really wanted to take part in this group read so for the first time, I purchased more credits!

This was a fun read. Once we got into the meat of the horror, it had me in mind of the Day of the Triffids. I think I'd be interested in reading more plant based horror.

The body horror was quite grim (in a good way), but I didn't find that it made my stomach turn or had me feeling nauseated.

There were no distinct chapters, which made it hard to pause but helped to amplify the blurred lines of time as terror set in for the characters.

The characters themselves weren't very likeable but felt believable for the most part, though some feeling more 2D (or more caricatures of a person) than others. I think my favourites were Matthias and Pablo.

I don't think this will be a strong story that would be very memorable long term, for me, but it was fun for whilst I was listening, I'd recommend it to others and I'd be interested in giving the movie adaptation a go.

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readabookmofo's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

THE GOOD:
I’m typically not a fan of multiple POVs, however, I felt that Smith was able to swap between characters with zero confusion. Each POV told us something different about the character, for better or for worse. The relationship dynamics, both romantic and platonic, were pretty accurate, albeit frustrating.😂

The writing was simple yet effective, which highlighted the body horror. The simplicity of the writing allowed me to really visualize and empathize with what was going on. I loved the overall message about the stereotypical American.
-
THE BAD
The two FMC’s were useless. They were dependent on men and had zero redemption or character development. They weren’t very distinct either. There were many moments when I felt the writing screamed that it was a female character written by a man.

Smith sprinkled many context clues or hints to things that never panned out. Had they been addressed this would undoubtedly be a 5 star read. Such a missed opportunity to explore Mayan culture and the Ruins itself. The fact that Smith made all these promises through what appeared to be foreshadowing resulted in a suboptimal ending that left me wanting more.

Despite its many flaws, I still really enjoyed this book. The concept is intriguing. I found myself telling all my co-workers about the crazy scenes I read. Excited to watch the movie adaption; I have a feeling I might like it more than the book 🫢 The Ruins didn’t meet my expectations, but I would still recommend it!

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bccorrea's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

Do you like being stressed out about lost in a jungle kind of book? Oh boy do we have the book for you. The book is actually well written. But there are a lot of weird parts that made me go well I can't wait to be rid of it. I hated as a Latina reading about descriptions of Mexico from a WASP perspective. Parts of the text made me feel hated and gross. Take that as you can. The horror is there, but there is also a certain amount of inevitable predictability.

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