Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

129 reviews

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

This book made me so uncomfortable at points because the writing is very visceral.  The fact that there is a time jump made everything so much worse.

I’m glad that I read it because I was interested in reading a few books by this author but I don’t think they will be for me after all.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

emmmapayne's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.75

This is a book full of tediously bland and aggravating characters. All members of the book club turn on each other the second someone perceived better disagrees with them. Especially if it is the husbands. The only reason the book club experiences any success against the vampire is because of Mrs. Greene who embodies the 'magical negro' trope. She is also the only person of color who is a part of the story. You see a few younger people, embodying a gang type behavior in Mrs. Greene's home community. You see a mother of one of the victims immediately lose her child- because she is a Person of Color and her daughter has what turns out to be a telltale mark on her inner thigh. Other POC characters are all victims that died via suicide, save for the one that was presumably murdered due to an interrupted feeding.
Patricia's son spends the majority of the book unhealthily attached to WW2 and Nazism. All he talks about prior to

his mother's suicide attempt

is Hitler and Nietzsche. 
There are 2 notably gory scenes. One involves rats and features dog vs rats violence and also rats snapping at the two people involved like a stereotypical school of piranha. I was not at all pleased to read about the snapping of necks and chunks taken out. The other gory scene is at the end of the book and I won't spoil it. If you can handle the rat scene you will be able to handle this scene too. It is slightly more 'meat processing' than medical. One other scene that is a bit intense is

Slick

recounting her SA by way of the antagonist. 
I did not appreciate how the majority of the victims were children, especially at the reveal that the bite creates a sexual euphoria that leads to addiction. This is described in detail for two characters, one who is an adult and the other who is in their late teens or early twenties. 
Just about all the male characters embodied stereotypes and were as present in the story as they were in their kids' lives. They either drank, beat their wives, had an abusive amount of control over their wives, or gaslit the ever-loving joy out of their wives. 
The book club are all fair-weather friends. The husbands band together to gaslight and call Patricia crazy and despite the proof they had in their hands at the time, all of the rest of the book club agree. Then at the end while four are struggling in the fight against evil one of the others shows up like she is the saving grace, despite doing next to nothing to help for the entire book. By the end all the surviving book club members seem to still be meeting up as if all were normal. There was small implication that something is going on with the dog, Patricia, and her daughter but it may have been meant as a 'some wounds never heal' kind of thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Rape, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Dementia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Several characters are stated to have committed suicide in minor detail. One character attempts, also in minor detail.

fionaross's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I cannot fathom saying you were inspired by love and respect for your mother and then writing THIS. 

Long, poor writing, and we never come back to any of the central motifs from the beginning of the novel. The women are cliches- not merely because of time period, but because of failed introspection of their interior lives. But thank god they get some witty one liners, what really matters is that your slay girl boss team of book club members gets to think something sassy to combat their vile husbands.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

jhaneveauguste's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.5

A book I couldn’t put down, but also one I’m not sure how I feel about. The writing and characters were phenomenal, however. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Classism

multiplyoctopi's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, and Police brutality

r_o_s_e's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Infidelity, Rape, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, Vomit, and Stalking

apestforwrens's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.75

Grady Hendrix always makes you think with his writing. Sometimes that thought is " I wouldn't have made that narrative decision" and sometimes that thought is "this is a super creative take on the vampire story".
Hendrix is fantastic at pulling you into his main character's head and forcing you to see why they are reacting to their situation the way they are. This is a horror book and contains some potentially upsetting stuff. I'd definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings before starting if you're worried about that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Fatphobia

cassie7e's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Will fully review after thinking on it. But MAN the men in this book are insufferable!

TW: Sexual assault, death, torture (kinda),  gore

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Racism