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musingsbymichelle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Medical content, and Alcohol
bdingz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a wild ride and my first foray into splatterpunk. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did! Creepy, funny, icky. I support women’s wrongs.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Terminal illness and Cannibalism
katizwitchy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My first thought after finishing this was "I need to walk this off."
Man, what a novel. If you have the stomach to read this, please do. Yes, it is awful and grotesque at times, but oh my god it is also ART. Women being horrible, complex, violent beings in the way men have been allowed to be for years is a perspective I didn't know I needed. The scariest thing about this novel is how easily you can find yourself agreeing with Maeve, seeing the line of thinking, right up until the brutal reality hits you full force and you feel the weight of shame and disgust for ever even slightly agreeing with her.
I cannot put into words how this novel affects me, other than saying that I will be thinking about it for a very long time. Where the R-rated scenes started to lose me, Leede would hook me back in with a beautiful piece of prose about grief, identity, and the depravedness and inherent evil that exists in simply being human. This book makes you confront the parts of yourself that are a bad person, even when you're nowhere near Maeve's level of bad person.
I didn't like American Psycho the film, mostly because it gave me anxiety from all of the violence against women, but switching the narrative and confronting our gendered understanding of violence made me approach with curiosity instead of fear and disgust. And I think that's what I'm left with. I have so many questions I'd love to ask the author, and lots to think about in terms of how I approach typical horror media.
If you don't have a stomach for some of the things I've described here, or aren't ready to confront darker shades of humanity than you deal with in your day-to-day, then don't read this. There were definitely parts that made me viscerally uncomfortable, as all good horror should have. But there were also very poignant commentaries on the idea of what makes an idol, what separates good and bad in a person, and what lies in between.
I don't know that I could pick up this book again. And, in my opinion, that's what makes a great psychological horror story.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
laneychaney's review
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Cannibalism
whatkatyread87's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
bella613's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Gross.
Edgy for the sake of being edgy.
I didn't like it persay, but it was somewhat well done. I agree with most of the criticism I've seen about it, but I also don't disagree with most of the praise, so... I guess make of that what you will. I would not recommend this. Unless you're into very dark gory horror with no real point.
I liked Gideon.
I didn't like Maeve herself and I can't tell if you're supposed to sympathize with her or not. She's very much a pick-me, impulsive, evil character without any intelligence or forethought. Extreme self-centeredness is typical for a killer in most cases, though, am I right?
I heard reviews say it was funny. I did not find it funny. It wasn't dark humor, it was just dark.
But I'm not mad that I read it, and I think in most cases with books like this I probably would be. So the author gets brownie points for making it somehow ok without anything ok in it lol.
It was rather predictable and the pacing went up and down throughout the story. The characters are pretty flat, but it's clear that this isn't supposed to have redemption or growth because that's not the purpose of the book. It's definitely just a story as a catalyst for bringing the reader gore and graphic shock and repulsive horny murder. Psychological thrillers do more for me than horror that is only horror for the gore.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Grief, and Stalking
madi_summerr's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual violence, and Medical content
chloeburton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
That being said, I do appreciate a fellow fan of Werewolf Bar Mitzvah.
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
bwoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug use, and Cannibalism
Minor: Abortion