Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

26 reviews

thebearnest's review

dark inspiring medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Confinement

keen's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Death

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, and Kidnapping

asajii's review

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Vomit, Abandonment, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping

fens_library's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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? No

5.0

A wonderful and thrilling story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Death, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

nixieba25f's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Honestly I’m just ecstatic to read an autistic character who knows she’s autistic written by an autistic author. Even though my Way and Rose’s Way are very different, I still felt more at home in her head than I have been with any other character in my 25 years of voracious reading. And as a horror fan and queer person, I was compelled by the narrative and pleased at the avoidance of certain tropes (cough bury your gays cough). I definitely would have loved a more extended novel where I could spend more time falling in love with these characters and drawing out the tension, but Camp Damascus was a perfectly good snack-sized story.

Thank you Dr. Chuck for proving love once again!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Vomit, Ableism, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Torture, and Violence

justanotherfinalgirlreview's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.25

Welcome to Camp Damascus, the most successful christian camp, where all your bodily sin’s including homosexuality can be cured permanently. Our methods work so well, your child won’t even remember coming here, nor will they have any recollection of their previous sinful desires. But if, god forbid,if any camper does have any recurring desires, we personally guarantee their own demons will keep them under control for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Your satisfaction is a guarantee.

However, The Kingdom of the Pine Church never expected a camper quite like Neverton local Rose Darling, an on the spectrum, fact based and highly religious 20 year old girl.

As a "secular" girl myself, the first half of the novel was a slow start, with many religious references flying right over my head. I did not understand Rose's love of religion and found the Darling family a little weird. But as I got further into the book I truly began to appreciate the story and how texts can be used and manipulated for personal gain. I've grown up on the stories about how horrible Catholic education was for my father and his brothers, with all three boys finding unique ways to be uninvited back to school (including a streaking incident). The book really started to pick up for me halfway through and I could not put it down. I fell in love with Rose and Saul, their strange friendship and united goal. Rose's weird facts kept me hooked, and made me want to know more.  Chuck Tingle created a wonderful LGBTQIA+ and Religious Horror novel filled with gory visceral body horror that will have you looking for the nearest garbage bin to throw up in thanks to the transmissions from the other side. I highly recommend enrolling yourself in Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus this July!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to get an advanced readers copy, this book got me through a long hospital visit, and Rose being there too at the vending machines made me feel so much less alone

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Torture, Transphobia, Body horror, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Violence