Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

18 reviews

znvisser's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This was kind of gross but also sweet and interesting. Shesheshen is fun! And a monster, but she is quite a social one (although she wouldn’t agree); she knows precisely how to use words with humans, evading truth without disturbing the conversation had by them. At several moments she is even surprisingly more human and better at recognising humanity than actual people. The story was more adventurous than I anticipated, which was great because the romance took a while to take hold. I enjoyed this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Animal cruelty, Murder, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

woolerys's review

adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

This monster romance was a mix of funny, harrowing, and touching, as a monster romance should be! Mild spoiler for queer rep:

both the protagonist (the monster) and her human love interest are ace!

There’s a strong theme of “humans are the real monsters” which… could have been more subtle, but at least the overtness read as a stylistic choice and not just blundering. The villains are increasingly absurd. The plot kept me engaged and frequently surprised. Shesheshen, our protagonist, is wonderfully likable and disgusting at the same time. The ending wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped, but it was… interesting, ha. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Abortion

temperamentalprotagonist's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Child death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Homophobia

bookthief404's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.75

Sweet language age, gory scenes, lovable characters and lothable villians all from the perspective of a non-human lesbian? Yes please

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Death

snazzy10101's review

dark emotional funny 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Body horror, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

bebidocrimes's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

Usually I don't think 'cozy' and 'horror' mix well, but this book had such a beautiful balance. The action was brutal and detailed, but the relationship felt so soft and genuine. I'm not the right person to speak on asexual representation, but I feel like this does justice to ace couples.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, and Classism

kitsuneheart's review

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 

Cross-cultural relationships rely on clear communication and not making assumptions. Shesheshen, a blob monster, learns this when she realizes her new human girlfriend, Homily, doesn’t consider laying your eggs in your partner so they may be eaten alive by your young…to be the logical goal of dating.

Somehow, as a reader, I’m with Shesheshen on this. Infest me, Mommy.

This is definitely a pick for queer readers with family trauma. Despite this book being about a ravenous blob-monster on the run, so much of the real drama and interest is about Homily’s ruthless family, and how they have left scars on her past.

It’s also a rather asexual romance, where the asexuality is not a point of tension, which I really appreciate.

Somehow, I found this book almost cozy. The horror definitely comes through in the end, but I was so much more invested in Homily and Shesheshen’s romance and latching onto their every scrap of domestic bliss. I loved the end, and felt quite satisfied. There doesn’t need to be more. It’s just…nice. Very nice.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Bullying, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Body shaming, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, and Physical abuse

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent

kaiyakaiyo's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

this was so fun and sad and unique and gory and strange and sweet and heartwarming and gut wrenching and whimsical and… you get the gist, I LOVED this. 

heavier subject matter than I expected, but I think it balances well with the comedy and gore. this gave me the same “I’ve never read anything like this before” feeling as Walking Practice; I’m so pleased to have found another book for that mental shelf 

I’d write forever if I had to say all the reasons I liked this, so I’ll leave it at: 5 stars, favorite shelf, so fresh and so so hard to put down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Body horror, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty

bookboxbabe's review against another edition

dark hopeful 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

this is the weirdest book i’ve ever read but i think i liked it?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Murder, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Blood

meshell's review

dark medium-paced

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

brilliant debut, just an utterly unique perspective 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder