Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

78 reviews

hauntedantiqueshop's review

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

2.0

I liked it a little more than the movie, which isn’t really saying much. Could have used more Cenobites lore though, they’re iconic and absolutely rule.
In the movie, Kirsty was Rory’s daughter. In the book, it seems she’s a friend that’s in love with him? I hate that change so much.
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ducktective's review

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dark 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

3.5

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vael's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

1.75

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shiveringstar's review

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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dogearedbooks's review against another edition

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

4.5

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maryncemetery's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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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sarah984's review against another edition

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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? No

3.0

This book was fine, but overall it was disappointing to me. The characters all felt very one note and unrealistic (Julia's actions were at least interesting but her reasons for doing them were pretty stupid), aside from
Julia's murders
the gore almost all takes place off-page or is barely described (why else am I reading this?) and the prose was so overwrought and goofy.
There is a part near the end where Barker wants to convey that a dead character is possessed by one of the cenobites so that character turns to Kirsty and essentially just says, "I'm a cenobite!"
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queenkath32's review

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dark tense

4.75

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caseyreadslol's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

4.25

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apollo0325's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

A really solid introduction to the world of Clive Barker’s works and of course a stellar entry of one of horror’s most iconic characters: the Cenobites.

I’ve never read any of Barker’s works, but I enjoy the Hellraiser movies and wanted to read this novella since this was their introduction. It was gross, alarming, and fun (in the sense of watching a horror movie. This was not a fun experience for our characters lmao). Also a quick read! It really put you in this story fast and got the ball rolling almost immediately.
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