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j_squaredd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I stopped at 25% for a few weeks because, even though I knew this was a horror novel when I picked it up, I had come to like the characters so much that I didnโt want to see anything bad happen to them. This is a novel about fairy tales, modern families, and the ways past and present horrors intersect. Highly recommend for any horror fans, but do check the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt
madarauchiha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
โค๏ธ ๐งก ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐งก โค๏ธ
I read LaValle's 'The Ballad of Black Tom' in an anthology I don't even recall the name of. And I was hooked. Instant fan, I'll follow LaValle's works ANYWHERE.
PHEW. Jeus christ. This was so much. It was a mildly slow, meandering start, but it benefited from laying down the groundwork. Everything you'd want to know gets answered in a satisfactory way. It does cover some heavy topics like child abuse, but it's not over the top graphic, romanticized, or gorey.
The book summary is a lil misleading in that it's not a straight up fairy tale. It has modern settings, and the fairy tale portions are relayed as just that: fairy tales. It was fantastic when the fairy tale and modern settings come together and you finally get the whole picture. This really needs a reread or three because there are LAYERS to this onion, baby! Please for the love of montressor, read this book!
Content warnings:
minor toxic masculinity, NSFW, alcohol, slavery,
medium diseases, insects, NSFW, throat trauma, suicide attempt,
police brutality, murder, gun violence, breast feeding, gun violence, hostage attempt, sharps,
major breast feeding, house fires, demolition, fire, cyber bullying, unsanitary, body horror, religion christianity, toxic workplace, sexual harassment, child neglect, pregnancy, childbirth, child abuse, domestic abuse, police, unsanitary, antiblack racism, police brutality, murder, child abandonment, mass murder, demolition, misogyny, domestic abuse, stalking, violence, drowning, torture, gore, confinement?, violence, domestic abuse, child death, prisons, child death, animal death, animal gore, police, unsanitary,
I read LaValle's 'The Ballad of Black Tom' in an anthology I don't even recall the name of. And I was hooked. Instant fan, I'll follow LaValle's works ANYWHERE.
PHEW. Jeus christ. This was so much. It was a mildly slow, meandering start, but it benefited from laying down the groundwork. Everything you'd want to know gets answered in a satisfactory way. It does cover some heavy topics like child abuse, but it's not over the top graphic, romanticized, or gorey.
The book summary is a lil misleading in that it's not a straight up fairy tale. It has modern settings, and the fairy tale portions are relayed as just that: fairy tales. It was fantastic when the fairy tale and modern settings come together and you finally get the whole picture. This really needs a reread or three because there are LAYERS to this onion, baby! Please for the love of montressor, read this book!
Content warnings:
minor toxic masculinity, NSFW, alcohol, slavery,
medium diseases, insects, NSFW, throat trauma, suicide attempt,
police brutality, murder, gun violence, breast feeding, gun violence, hostage attempt, sharps,
major breast feeding, house fires, demolition, fire, cyber bullying, unsanitary, body horror, religion christianity, toxic workplace, sexual harassment, child neglect, pregnancy, childbirth, child abuse, domestic abuse, police, unsanitary, antiblack racism, police brutality, murder, child abandonment, mass murder, demolition, misogyny, domestic abuse, stalking, violence, drowning, torture, gore, confinement?, violence, domestic abuse, child death, prisons, child death, animal death, animal gore, police, unsanitary,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism and Slavery
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
'The Changeling' by Victor LaValle is a horrifying story that delves into themes of parenthood, familial trauma, and how far one will go for their child.
The story centers on Apollo Kagwa, a rare book dealer who has just welcomed a baby with his daughter Emma. But their life is disrupted when Emma starts getting strange text messages and begins to act off. One night, after an act of extreme violence, she disappears. Apollo is left trying to piece his world back together and learn more about what really happened in his home and what was its cause.
LaValle does an exceptional job of slowly ramping up the tension in 'The Changeling.' I knew this book was horror going in but the horrific acts and moments still sneak up on you because LaValle has created this really solid base of strong characters. We care for Apollo, learning about his childhood, how he met Emma, and how excited they are at the birth of his son. This makes the revelations and horrific moments in this story that much more stark because they stand out from the normal life that LaValle has painted. Apollo has to dig into his own past to learn about his family at the same time that he is trying to unpack what is happening in his life. This unpacks his familial trauma as he works to be a better father and husband than his own father. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by LaValle himself, and his calm narration is the perfect contrast to some of the truly horrific discoveries that are included in this story. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're looking for a horrific family story but go in knowing that there are a lot of trigger warnings and it isn't easy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Suicide attempt
narzibenoucdel's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Violence, and Death
therefugeofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Racism
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