Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Eisfuchs by Tanya Tagaq

14 reviews

kodi_rae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Part autobiography, part narrative fiction, part magical realism, etc. with some tough themes about SA, trauma, etc. One of the things that makes “Split Tooth” beautiful is the way Tagaq talks about the environment, animal spirits, the northern lights, etc. and how it ties into the narrative and cultural beliefs and practices. I read in other reviews that if you listen to the audiobook she narrates it herself and incorporates throat singing between each section which I imagine would lend itself to a whole new, raw experience. I think it would be worth revisiting. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Murder, Suicide attempt, Grief, Blood, Violence, and Animal death

Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Self harm, and Domestic abuse

wirt's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Addiction, Death, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

vtlism's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Chilling, beautiful, imaginative, quotable 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Gore, Drug use, Colonisation, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Alcohol

mapscitiesandsongs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

I don't really know how to rate this, since I have the feeling that I didn't even understand half of the book. The prose was certainly interesting and beautiful. I am a bit sad that I couldn't get the audiobook. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Colonisation, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Blood and Grief

kay_raichu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

It's an amazing novel that manages to incorporate prose organically. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Incest, and Suicide

foreverinastory's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

Damn this was a lot heavier than I thought it would be.

Rep: Inuit female MC, queer side characters.

CWs: Adult/minor relationship (unwilling minor), blood, child abuse, colonisation, misogyny, pedophilia, physical abuse, pregnancy, racism, racial slurs, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual violence, violence. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Violence

ktrecs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Religious bigotry, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cannibalism and Vomit

rotfaced's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A deeply visceral and at times deeply upsetting story. I listened to it as an audiobook, which was recommended to me and which I would highly recommend as well; Tanya Tagaq lends her unique and beautiful narration to the text, bringing each poem, reflection, story and song to genuine life through her intimate and delicate vocalization. Between each chapter is her throat singing, which adds a new layer to the story as well. While I would like a physical copy of the book to revisit portions which stood out as poignant to me, I don't know if I would have enjoyed the experience as much had I began with the text. 

I found myself enraptured by the first 2/3rd of the book, engrossed in this world so unlike the one I inhabit. The final acts left me feeling deeply sad and even disturbed, but the journey through these segments was worthwhile. This book is very poetic and meant to invoke reflection, if not empathy; I encourage readers to approach it with no expectations and allow Tagaq's lyrical way of exploring life to animate itself in their mind. 

This is a book I couldn't stop listening to; I finished it in hours I carved out my day, finding every excuse to continue the story. That said, I do think it's worth pausing to reflect on scenes and chapters, especially if you feel you did not understand them (or, alternatively, if they resonated deeply with you). It is a heavy story, and with all heavy things, we must pause to rest between carrying them. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Murder, Drug use, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, and Cancer

yavin_iv's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Rape, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, and Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Cancer, Blood, Self harm, Abandonment, and Murder

Minor: Vomit

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

This raw and poetic memoir follows a girl growing up in Nunavut in the 1970s and 1980s, weaving in magical realism elements, often verging on the fantastic & spiritual. It's a powerful text, dealing with sometimes really heavy topics (check the TW at the bottom of this post) in an extremely poetic language - half of the chapters are actually poems. In some regards, this book reminded me of Keri Hulme's The Bone People for its deep rooting in the land and its spirituality, its narrative around childhood, and the balance between prose and poetry.
It was an unsettling read, but done on purpose. As a white European woman, I can't know first-hand what Tanya Tagaq tells about in Split Tooth, but I can bear witness, learn and empathize. Some of the discomfort I felt was also due to the topics touched on, sometimes hammered in - see the trigger warnings.
Rep : Inuit queer woman. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Suicide