Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

38 reviews

careinthelibrary's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this! Fast-paced but also lots of reminisces of the character's past. Lots of mystery and excitement and tension. It kept me occupied and invested to the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy

lottpoet's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Murder

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad 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

4.5

This is an exceptionally gory and gritty mystery narrated by a Navajo crime scene photographer who converses with the ghosts of the dead. She has seen ghosts her whole life but now they pester her incessantly to solve their murders. 

Outside of the violence, it’s a beautiful portrayal of Navajo connections between family and friends, describing the community, history, and culture. We see the insular life on the reservation and the casual discrimination of the cities. 

Rita is a sympathetic character, plagued by the ghosts, struggling to find a balance between staying with her beloved grandma on the reservation and the necessary work she does in Albuquerque. 

Two very small quibbles: I wasn’t convinced that she’d have that much influence as a civilian working for the police, and I found Erma’s aggression extreme. But I’ve never seen ghosts so I don’t really know what I’m talking about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chloebear21's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Blood

Moderate: Violence

winifara's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jemau11's review

dark sad fast-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

4.0

The depiction of Navajo culture and particularly how the Navajo see death was so interesting, and Rita was a complex and likable character. There are parts of the book that are hard to read, especially the scene in the judge’s house, but it’s necessary to understand what Rita’s job is really like. Definitely one of those where you should take the content warnings seriously, though. 4 stars because I didn’t like the way things wrapped up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and Police brutality

adelinebal4's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This was such a beautifully written, gripping story. I think this might be the one that convinced me I actually do enjoy character-driven books.  I loved it even though it was on the slower side of pacing, which isn’t common for me. This is a standout book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore and Gun violence

leweylibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.5

It only gets points for the kind of fun setting and indigenous rep, sorry 🤷‍♀️ otherwise I kinda hated it lol.

I did not enjoy reading it, I had to force myself to finish it for a book club, and I had sooo many issues with it that completely took me out of the story. Like her awful friends wtf??? They were horrible and I really hope they weren't inspired by the author's real friends lol. What kind of friends automatically ask if you've murdered someone or destroyed your own apartment?? I wanted to like the supernatural element, and it was one of the few things keeping me interested, but there could've been so much more done with it. I felt like a lot of the conversations, situations, and relationships just made no sense. I truly don't know how this was long listed for the National Book Prize. Like how.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Colonisation

Minor: Pedophilia, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

vexatiousbird's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I wasn’t sure about this after the first chapter with its extremely detailed gore, but I’m glad I continued. We get the murder plot interwoven with chapters of Rita’s life growing up, her history with photography, ghosts, and death. I loved her heartfelt memories of her grandmother and her Navajo culture. The main plot isn’t particularly unique or gripping, but it all comes together into a great story. 

My main complaint was the ending felt kind of rushed and abrupt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

tafeeeeee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

4.0

It was oddly beautiful despite the subject material. I wish we learned more about what happened  to Rita after all she went through. It felt like the story was building up to this moment and then it was over and I didn't feel fulfilled. 

I did love the Indigenous representation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder