Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

164 reviews

jasperdotpdf's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Rape

antimony's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

2.75

most of the stars go to this being readable, because despite the fact that it wasn't all that good, i flew through it in under 3 hours. this is not a book that slogs along! it's an easy read, maybe entertaining depending on who you are. the writing style didn't agree with me (there was a lack of commas) but that is thoroughly subjective.

the problems lay elsewhere.

like mattie's amnesia, which i don't know. it felt so convenient and she remembered things so conveniently as well. does that make sense? i wish there were fewer flashbacks. and william had no motive and all the characters were one dimensional. like i wish there was some explanation for why william wanted to

kidnap mattie and kill her mom

? and also the reveal that he was

dealing heroin to make money????????

made so sense and didn't fit thematically. and the monster was so nebulous that it didn't ever feel scary because it just felt fake. like i think some authors can get away with never really describing their monsters because that works for cosmic horror. it does not work here. it's like a bear but like a billion times bigger? and is there one or is there two? and it has paws and its eyes glow. that's it.

and dear god the ending is SO unsatisfying. like COME ON. there's no resolution. i'm not saying we have to see every day of mattie adjusting to normal life again but i mean at least some more resolution than that. i like little epilogue chapters where it's like a month later and the main character explains how everything turned out after they killed the monster and passed out in the hospital or whatever. it's like a cliffhanger without a book 2 to follow up and explain all the rest :/

but then again i read this in two hours which was cause for a 5 star rating when i was 13 so do i even have a right to complain?

EDIT and HOW did i forget to mention.

that every time mattie asks about heather and what happened to her cp or jen or griffin are like ???? who's that????? and it's definitely implied that something was up with heather, like was she ever even real? and then that's NEVER resolved.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Gore, and Gun violence

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Animal death and Vomit

goodnekovibes's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Gore

anamariac_24601's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Animal death, Blood, and Body horror

typedtruths's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Pedophilia, Murder, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Animal death, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Miscarriage and Death of parent

graveyardreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Rape, and Sexual assault

theriehldeal's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

The beginning was promising, but the book didn’t go in the direction I was hoping for. Plus, the “monster” wasn’t really revealed; just implied. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

linetyyni's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Violence

anna_hepworth's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

5.0

I don't think I've read anything quite this dark recently. I knew going in that Henry tends to write at the darker end of what I am comfortable with, and this was even more so than expected. It does a fabulous job of bringing to the page a particular type of B-grade horror movie.

And while I absolutely loved it, I can't think of a single person, horror fan or no, to whom I could honestly recommend it. Henry has outdone themself in terms of WTAF.

I've seen in some other reviews complaints about the ambiguity, and the fact that there are story threads not resolved. I loved this -- this is not a story of resolution, it is a story of beginning. Almost as if it is a prequel to a very different story. And while I would be fascinated to find out how that story could come from this one, I'm not sure that I want to read it. 

some rather rambling thoughts, all of which are at least some spoilery:

• I had to put the book down about 20 pages from the end, just to take a breath, because I hadn't expected more than one person to make it off the mountain
• the juxtaposition of the human and cryptid monsters, their capriciousness, and the way that both make things worse for our protagonist is so well done
• I get the narrative reason for Mattie to make their own resolution, their own justice, but it frustrated me as a plot point
• the fact that there are no children at the beginning of the story made no sense. The sense that came as the story continued was awful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, and Miscarriage

I will have missed warnings; it is so very dark.

lilgrimmy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse