Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

25 reviews

joonjxne's review

dark emotional reflective fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and Self harm

Moderate: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Incest, Stalking, and Violence

readingpicnic's review

3.75

I don't really know how I feel about this book...it has to marinate a bit more. I will say that these are some actually morally gray characters in very fucked up ways, which was fun sometimes. I think I got confused about what was happening at some points in the book, and I didn't really understand the ending, so I almost want to reread it... It did keep me guessing the whole book about what was going on, and most of my theories ended up being wrong lol. The lack of consent in this book was upsetting...I'm not sure if it was because the main characters are meant to be fucked up or if it's romanticizing the SA? Pretty fucked though. They are sooo toxic. I don't think I understood either of the main characters' motivations for the entirety of the book whic lended to my confusion. The atmosphere in this book was so incredibly well done: the oiliest, greasiest, grimiest gay book I've ever read. The body horror was also amazing, with disgusting lines like "curdled genitals" on a dead body. Also, why is Johann literally Addie LaRue? Reading this felt like reading a toxic gay anime fanfiction; like, this is what I imagine Noé and Vanitas fanfics are like from the anime The Case Study of Vanitas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Torture

Moderate: Stalking

jems_'s review

3.5

An interesting concept and atmosphere, though the execution felt just a little off.

I do love dark sceneries and myths which I think this book did perfectly. It had a dark and gritty atmosphere, one you wouldn’t want to be in yourself. A glum industrial town would not be the place I‘d like to spend any amount of time in. Such is Elendhaven. 
I also liked the myths in this book and the tad bit of the supernatural making them real. 

The characters however felt a bit inconsequential at some points. With how I imagined them, some of the things they did and said felt somewhat out of character.

I would’ve also liked for the book to be a bit longer to explore the characters, especially the „monster-ization“ a bit longer and maybe over the course of that the author could’ve slowly introduced this behavior that seemed odd to me now and make it more believable.

Also beware of the trigger warnings if you read this!

One other thing: As a German reading this, it was funny because it uses some German terms. I mean „Elend“ alone is German and roughly translates to „misery“ which makes sense for the town. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Blood, Stalking, and Death

Minor: Drug use, Death of parent, and Incest

tinyjude's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

From the get go I fell in love with the atmosphere the author transports us into. The gothic vibes, the gorey and unhinged characters, the gruesome and fatally flawed (aka toxic) situations situasionship these two has going on. It reminded me of Bloodborne or Dishonored in some aspects, either by the vibes and monstruousity in it all, or the revenge at all costs plotline. I loved the writing too, hollow and haunting, full of imagery that surely clicks much better on a second read. The descriptions of the characters and the mythical aspect of the city, with us as spectators rooted in the city yet still watching everything unfold from a deep mist that clouds our perceptions in the same way the sorcerer manipulates everyone here. The idea of a master-monster also reminded me a lot of Frankenstein, although both stories differ in a lot of aspects. Nonetheless, I believe it's a gritty novella perfect for when you are in the mood to read dark, gory, stuff like for Halloween, and be left wondering about the world a little bit (a sense of acrid lingering that follows you around like the shadow of Elendhaven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Stalking, Child abuse, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Genocide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Torture, Rape, Alcohol, Drug use, Self harm, and Grief

Minor: Incest

onemamareads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-monster-of-elendhaven

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Blood, Gore, Rape, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual violence

the_bookish_witch's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Gore, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Confinement

snackattackisback69's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

As a fan of Bloodborne, I loved the premise and atmosphere of this novel due to the similarities they share. The unsettling city of Elendhaven and the rot that was consuming it from the inside out was right up my alley. The writing style was both descriptive and engaging. I enjoyed following the two main characters and their dysfunctional relationship. My one issue with the novel is how short it is, as I would've loved more time to delve into the horror of the city and flesh out the ending which I felt was rushed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement and Rape

Minor: Stalking and Incest

cathgotaknife's review

dark lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Stalking, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, and Death

blacksphinx's review against another edition

dark funny 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? Yes

2.0

When I looked up the author's name to see if she had written anything else, I was not surprised in the least to see she was one of the writers of the much-despised Homestuck Epilogues. I can feel the glimmer of Homestuck in the dialogue and humor, so take that as you will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Murder, Violence, Self harm, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Medical content, Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Child death

Minor: Stalking, Excrement, Genocide, Rape, and Incest

wichbich's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

The first book from this author. It wasn't my favorite story ever, but I enjoyed many of the conventions that were played with and really liked the world building a lot. Would definitely pick up another book from this author, especially if it expands on this world more. The lore was definitely the best part though I did really enjoy the grimey romance element. The characters themselves didn't really have much of an arc but it's a very short book so it makes total sense. All in all I thought it was a fun, interesting read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicide, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Physical abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts