Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

85 reviews

applesodaperson's review against another edition

dark sad 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? Yes

4.25

This book was really good! I liked how it went into multiple different character's perspectives, giving those different perspectives on grief, which is ultimately what this book is about. I also liked how

M had like 5 people ready and willing to help him cover up a murder lol, even though it felt slightly unrealistic.

I also loved the LGBTQ+ rep, and how natural it felt. This isn't a book about being gay, but being in a same-sex relationship is just part of the norm in this family, which was awesome. I also feel like this book would be a great one to read in a book club setting, because I feel like there is still symbolism and themes that I missed. 
Read from the Provo library. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Child death, Body horror, and Gore

onlyincursive's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.0

Somehow devastated me and gave me hope at the same time. An interesting look at the ways people handle grief and the challenges of living in a world where you’ll never fit in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Violence, and Drug use

Minor: Toxic relationship, Excrement, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

I actually liked this a lot by the end! The Magos section was nearly unbearable; her pov was so selfish and internal it bordered on unrealistic. Grief is one thing, but it seems she was an awful friend/loved one even before that, to the point that she wasn’t really believable. I nearly DNFed in her section, which is extremely rare for me. But I pushed through & once I got to Lena, Joseph, and M, things really started to flow well and I felt so much more investment in the characters. Uncle Luke <3

Extremely tragic, sometimes gory, but ultimately sort of healing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Toxic friendship, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Gore

leanne_miron's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, Child death, and Deadnaming

Minor: Child abuse

rachelle_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Wow. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

From the book’s premise, I expected an exploration of grief, and this book delivered. The way grief was externalized in Monstrilio/M, and how each person tended to him/it and each other fascinated me.

And then M became a fully formed character with his own section of the book. Here was an exploration of identity/queerness that I wasn’t expecting. 

I thought the four sections, narrated by four characters, were balanced well. The pacing was solid. I appreciated the short sub-chapters. 

I desperately want to talk about this book with so many of my friends now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Body horror

ambert's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

The difficulty in letting go of grief, and the disastrous consequences caused by holding on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Body horror, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Drug use

Minor: Death of parent

chublaikhan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

4.75

Grief, parenthood, and a carnivorous monster are somehow my ideal combination. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror and Child death

brinnavirginia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Body horror, Gore, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Blood, Torture, Chronic illness, Animal death, Child death, Sexual violence, Murder, Violence, and Death

Minor: Drug use

abril_chavez's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This books was captivating from beginning to end. The author’s depiction of grief is nothing short of raw. I was right there with each of the characters going through the motions. The horror components to this book do not cheapen or lessen the message conveyed, instead, those moments force you to look at grief straight in the eyes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, and Medical content

chasingpages1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Body horror, Grief, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Death of parent, Alcohol, Cannibalism, and Torture