Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

18 reviews

maddiearthur's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Death, Murder, Body horror, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

kalira's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

What a very well-written horror (story? experience? yes?); it was also a well-done slope that had me cringily anticipating Bad Things, easing up and even laughing, thinking it wouldn't be so horrific after all, and then . . . hooboy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Body horror

Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Death

Minor: Alcoholism

eye trauma, finger/hand trauma (self-inflicted and not)

cosmicpanda's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Self harm, Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Slavery, Police brutality, and Torture

Moderate: Murder and Medical content

astrangewind's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.75

As an avid IKEA fan, I found the premise of Horrorstor to be captivating. Orsk is a perfect reflection of the home-goods-paradise-slash-capitalistic-hellscape that does resemble a panopticon, in some ways. 

There's a lot of subtle horror in this kind of labyrinthine store that Hendrix explores. For example,

Matt and Amy getting turned around in the showrooms, the fake doors opening impossibly into long concrete hallways, and the general eerieness of being in an empty store at night

. However, I wish the book remained this subtle. I wish I came out of it with a quiet, haunted feeling that follows me when I go to an IKEA-like store. Instead...

I got ghosts

. To his credit, Hendrix tried to humanize the more boring parts

such as the bit with the ectoplasm pouring out of Trinity's mouth

, but the whole trope of "structure is on top of a place where a bunch of people died" is a little bit lame. 

I did like the ending, though. Good character development, good creep factor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Moderate: Torture and Suicide

Minor: Death, Drug use, Slavery, Excrement, and Blood

literarylily's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Excrement, Confinement, Body horror, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Gore, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

mallory10100's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

5.0

this was WILD 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Excrement, Grief, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Death, and Vomit

alastaire's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Blood, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Classism, Sexual harassment, and Excrement

Minor: Animal death, Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Addiction

Mass murder, drowning, prison, ghosts

melliedm's review

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

A campy, disgusting trip through a haunted Ikea-like store. Fun, easy read that’s a little clunky and perhaps overwritten in parts, but overall a great time with a hokey ghost-infused take on capitalism, the labour myth, and the prison industrial complex.

Oh and the book design has to be mentioned. Styled after an IKEA catalog and filled throughout with product designs like you would expect in a manual, as well as some other surprises, it absolutely adds to the campy delight of this book. Kudos to the designers!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Confinement, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Body horror, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Slavery and Sexual assault

Underwater/drowning

carbinara's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This was such a fun concept, and since uni is kicking my ass I sorta needed something quick and impactful. This deffo delivered. Loved the criticism of capitalism, loved Amy (which is rare for me to live main characters but Hendrix has always managed it so far), and loved the horror aspects. 

 I only wish we got more world building.

I’m assuming Orsk is more involved than we think. We assume its only the Ohio store affected since the prison was built there before it, but then we see that someone has gone missing from the New York location? And I sort of assumed it wasn’t the same ghosts since beehive was still under Planet Baby but idk. Considering its a criticism of capitalism, would make sense if Orsk was involved, especially with how they react.

Still a really fun story, but would love a sequel lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Vomit, Confinement, Death, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Minor: Cursing and Excrement

adelus21's review

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

The idea and design of this book is so cool but the writing is lacking. The middle of the book drags on and the ending well...

can you say to be continued? Great chance for an enemies to lovers storyline just  squandered!

And of course more rats.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Murder, and Confinement