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cyanide_latte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, and Vomit
quackthump's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
tbretc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
horrorandscience's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow.
What a book. The Devil Takes You Home is my first Gabino Iglesias book, and I’m not sure why I waited so long to read him. His writing is visceral. He had me crying in the first few pages, and I don’t think I stopped until the end. Even then, maybe a few hours afterwards. It’s been over a month since I’ve finished this book, and it’s one I can’t stop thinking about.
Mario and Melisa live in Austin TX, and their daughter, four-year-old Anita, has been diagnosed with cancer. At first they’re hopeful. It is an easily treated childhood cancer. The doctor comes with bad news, though. Anita’s leukemia is a rare type that’s hard to treat. The bad news keeps coming when Mario loses his job due to Anita’s appointments.
“You can wrap a shotgun in flowers, but that doesn’t make the blast less lethal.”
Tragedy after tragedy sees Mario become a hit man. He comes to the realization he can’t do this any longer, and works with a friend of his to do one last job. We follow Mario and two companions on the way to make some easy money. It seems too good to be true, and maybe it is.
This is not an easy read. There’s a lot to it (content warnings are below), but it really is worth it. If you are in the right headspace for a novel like this, I definitely recommend it. It combines a lot of subgenres to make one beautiful novel. There’s crime, horror, and fantasy. All wrapped up into a really bleak book.
I don’t want to give much more away, but I have to say, The Devil Takes You Home is one of my favorite books of all time. No pressure. Any author who makes me cry within the first few pages has a special place on my bookshelf.
Thank you to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
CW for death of a child, death, blood, gore, racism, body horror, murder, gun violence, grief, addiction/drug abuse, cancer, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, animal cruelty, miscarriage, transphobia, and child abuse
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Transphobia