Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

54 reviews

ravenousrose's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Confinement, Dementia, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence

ed_moore's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Bazzterrica’s ‘Tender is the Flesh’ really leaves me conflicted on the opinions of the book, I certainly did not enjoy it, far from it, though it wasn’t at all bad. A dystopia where animal meat is diseased and inedible so the population turns to systematic cannibalism is just a theme that cannot be an enjoyable reading experience. Every single chapter was uncomfortable, the themes, descriptions of murder and consumption of humans with no remorse, care or ability to see the murder victims as human, but alike to the animals slaughtered in todays meat industry, was harrowing. It was the most unpleasant reading experience I have ever had. 

 

In substituting the animals of the meat industry for humans it was an extremely strong argument for veganism, and made me feel utterly sick every single chapter, and that is as a person who extremely rarely eats meat, never choosing to cook it myself and only having it when served to me by somebody else. The world building in the book was both incredible and utterly harrowing, but the theme was the only real standout element when it came to the writing itself. 

 

The whole book was written in an extremely blunt and to the point tone, almost like a list of events in the protagonist Marcos’ life and long list features to contribute to world building. While I recognise this could reflect the lack of remorse towards the consumption of humans and is a clever technique in such regards, it also came across as extremely bland and sloppy writing. The characters were also all quite flat, once again all awful people and one dimensional possibly for the focus on how little remorse existed in the dystopian universe, but also again uninteresting writing. 

 

‘Tender is the Flesh’ was eye-opening and so uncomfortable with a really interesting, impactful and harrowing premise, but aside from such was not the greatest in a stylistic or plot perspective (the plot also felt very lacking and only focused on world building, new elements of the human processing plant and universe being introduced in the second to penultimate chapter). This is book where the trigger warnings are a must, as it is the most uncomfy book I have ever read, is far from enjoyable, yet absolutely worth considering reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Gore, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death

tverma's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Vomit

vlpfeiffer's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Gore

Moderate: Pregnancy and Child death

Minor: Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

xeno_reads's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

A thought provoking look into a mirror of what humanity can be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Trafficking, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Excrement, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Pregnancy, Vomit, Ableism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Animal death, Abandonment, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Blood, Infertility, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Child death, Body horror, Torture, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Slavery, Classism, and Sexual harassment

bookmom91's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

This book is an amazing and gripping read. Once you start you are transported to an alternate world you can't leave till the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Slavery, War, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Genocide, Trafficking, and Rape

blueyapologist's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Holy shit dude. This book had tension and twists and I have never felt a stronger urge to shower after reading something 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Torture, Drug use, Animal death, Addiction, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Blood, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Chronic illness, Body horror, Dementia, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Infertility, Grief, Gore, Cursing, Confinement, Classism, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Murder, Misogyny, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Racism, Genocide, Car accident, and Animal cruelty

rsagarin's review

dark reflective sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Cannibalism, Dementia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Misogyny, Death of parent, Rape, Blood, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Child death

pomp's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.75

Most of the book focuses on world building and character building until the highlight of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Sexual content, Infidelity, Cannibalism, Child death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Pregnancy

zzaranazz's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

HOLY FUCK I LOVED THIS BOOK… til the last 40 pages. like what the hell i feel like im missing the backend of the book. they set up so much and then there was no pay off and i still have sooooo many questions. bro what the hell

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Animal death, Violence, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Infertility, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Gore, Slavery, Pedophilia, and Forced institutionalization