Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Infested: An MTV Fear Novel by Angel Luis Colón

4 reviews

axel_p's review

challenging dark tense 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

4.0

This book made my skin crawl. Ew, I hate roaches now.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Gore, Bullying, Murder, Death, Vomit, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Sexism, Ableism, Hate crime, Medical content, Gaslighting, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Self harm, Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

What a fantastic debut into YA, this was.

Infested reminded me of the netflix show The House, with the the creepy horror surrounding an infestation of roaches at a newly built housing complex.

The horror of creepy crawlies, ghosts and body horror didn't end there.
The conversations on gentrification and racsim in the community of a minority sector of people added to the fantastical horror with the realistic horror of humanity's prejudice and cruelty to those deemed inferior. There were some really well fleshed out conversations on that topic, with youth, elders, minorities and racists against minorities getting help where needed. It was pretty deep. Deeper than I went in expecting it to be.

The gore and body horror was beautifully disgusting, having me flinch and cringe away multiple times. I bet my face looked like I was chomping on a lemon. The descriptions were just so visceral that I felt like the roaches were crawling all over me.

I think Manny was a complex character - he had a lot going on emotionally. I wasn't a fan of his parents but by the end I had a new lease of respect for them.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Body horror, Kidnapping, Blood, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Bullying, Confinement, Hate crime, Murder, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

foxwish's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Animal death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Death and Racism

starrysteph's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

If roaches give you the shivers … run! Or embrace it and pick up Infested, a spooky yet super earnest story.

We’re following teenage Manny, who has been dragged from Texas to the Bronx to help his annoying step-dad prepare a new luxury condo for residents. Manny is angry & resentful & just wanted to finish out his senior year with his friends. But he begrudgingly gets to know his new neighborhood and even connects a bit with the friendly old exterminator.

Then … things get weird. There are roaches absolutely everywhere, and the exterminator maybe isn’t who he says he is. Manny and his new friend Sasha (who just happen to be protesting the condo) have to investigate the infestation and protect their families.

The insect horror moments are done so well – I could feel the creepy-crawlies under my skin. It reminded me quite a bit of a Goosebumps story.

Colón also filled the pages with relatable teenage struggles: Manny navigates friendships, his Puerto Rican identity & how he fits into his new neighborhood, and challenging new family dynamics. The book also touches on gentrification (Manny learns about the potential impact of the new building from various members of the community) and racism. I would have loved a little more depth around those moments at the ending; instead, they are sort of dropped during the major horror climax. 

The plot flies by, and I think this will keep any young reader hooked. I actually would have preferred to linger a bit longer in certain moments and let the characters really shine instead of rushing from location to location - but the pacing definitely kept me turning pages.

CW: death, murder, insect horror, body horror, fire/arson, gentrification, racism, animal death (bugs), classism, xenophobia, injury, vomit

Follow me on TikTok for book recommendations!

(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Vomit, Racism, Animal death, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, and Death