Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

85 reviews

c_dmckinney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Dementia, Death of parent, Stalking, Body horror, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Classism, Self harm, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual violence

Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury

a child is obsessed with Nazis and starts being unkind to animals, multiple children are preyed on by a literal monster

chloe_catastrophe's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse and Rape

Minor: Addiction and Drug use

kdepenhart's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Blood, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Alcoholism, Child death, and Violence

brukneem's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The Southern stereotypes and focus on "traditional" gender roles for houswives made this a bit boring to read. This book is also hard for a woman to read because the scariest parts come from women being controlled, belittled, hit, scorned, and disbelieved in the face of real danger. That being said, the scary scenes WERE scary and the ending was absolute justice.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gore

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Child death, Child abuse, and Addiction

hannahsbookrambles's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Blood, Animal death, Addiction, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse

moonlitemuseum's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

Sometimes a book hits at exactly the point in time that you need it. I was hooked on this from the opening paragraph—it has a cinematic, snappy quality that lesser writers try and fail to capture, paired with breakneck pacing and witty, grounded dialog. A friend said that the author specializes in emphasizing human horror despite the supernatural goings-on, and I felt that here. The vampirism aspect was gripping, but it didn't compare to the cold misery of realizing this poor Southern housewife was a relative alien in her own home and life and with very few people at her back. 
There are elements of this book I disliked, but they were small enough that they didn't spoil my overall enjoyment. (Some parts that I was dissatisfied with might have even made the book stronger in the end. I'm not sure how satisfyingly the book could wrap up the ambient half-arcs of Patricia's children, and although I thought it unnecessary for the book to linger so long and lewdly on the rape segments I won't deny that they were effectively grim.)
A fast, exciting, and deliciously tawdry read that made me excited to read more. I can't give much higher praise than that!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Dementia, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Misogyny, Addiction, and Sexism

Minor: Religious bigotry and Animal death

fionaraney's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Animal death, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Domestic abuse, Child death, Murder, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Cannibalism, Body horror, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, and Animal cruelty

cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Alcohol, Child death, Medical content, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Mental illness

katrinasherise's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Addiction, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Mental illness, Rape, Stalking, Child death, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Gore, Blood, and Gaslighting

huldasif's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

This book is kind of like The Stepford Wives meets Salem's Lot meets Fried Green Tomatoes, but it was funnier.  The first chapter was hilarious in fact. I was laughing my head off, it was so funny. I was a little disappointed the book didn't continue on like that, but the book was still good. It became less funny as the horror built up, naturally. It would have been too much of a reprieve and taken away the suspense if it had kept on being so funny I guess. Plus, it just doesn't do to be laughing while children are dying on the next page. It was more creepy than scary though. The husbands were just as creepy as the vampire actually, which I thought was pretty clever of the author. I almost wanted to do them off too, they made me so mad. I'll definitely be reading My Best Friend's Exorcism too! But I sure hope Grady Hendrix writes a comedy if she hasn't already, because she is the funniest writer I ever came across. That first chapter was the best.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Death, Gore, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Animal death, Drug use, Excrement, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Hate crime and Infidelity