Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Gerald's Game by Stephen King

22 reviews

lay_kone's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Stalking, Vomit, Blood, Gore, Self harm, Excrement, and Rape

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Cannibalism

kelseyholler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

Did I like it? No. Was it the most horrifying and brutal book I've ever read? Yes. Rating it highly because it was well written and terrified me, so all in all a good horror book. With that being said, I'll never read it again and you can bet I'll never ever recommend it to anyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Self harm, Rape, Pedophilia, and Incest

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Cannibalism

Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, Body shaming, and Eating disorder

axylbird's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Animal cruelty

brimclala's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Incest, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Animal death

theimposter's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is a beautiful and traumatizing expression of trauma (sexual trauma specifically) and of the mind’s internal family system which Stephen King writes so accurately and in such a personifying way. It was also the most triggering book I’ve ever read and I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who is triggered by sexual abuse/rape or anyone who doesn’t want to read gore and body horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death, Incest, Child abuse, Confinement, Torture, Body shaming, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

ansatejones's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

She should have adopted the damn dog at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Mental illness, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Animal death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Self harm, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

czoltak's review

dark slow-paced

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

1.0

I definitely would’ve DNF’ed if I wasn’t it reading for a readathon. I can see why people like this, but it is absolutely not for me and the exact opposite of what I’m looking for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Incest, Infertility, Blood, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Incest, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Alcohol and Cannibalism

nenaveenstra's review against another edition

dark reflective tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

I was impressed by how deeply and respectfully this book discussed sexual assault - this was way more than just a thriller surrounding a BDSM game gone wrong, it was a psychological event. I was deeply entertained and shook to the core with everything that happened. I'm not 100% sure how accurate the depictions of schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder as well as sexual assault were, but they felt respectful and I appreciate that.

I do think this book could've benefited from killing some darlings, if you know what I mean. Especially the last thirty-ish pages - which read as a sort of epilogue - could've been scrapped in my opinion, leaving the ending a bit more open. It was all tied up too neatly.

Anyway this was a fun time, and I'm glad to have read it. Nothing tops The Shining, though ;)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Body shaming

Minor: Ableism, Antisemitism, Drug use, Animal death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Eating disorder, and Misogyny

The book is based around an idea of BDSM that isn't entirely accurate and can be very harmful. This is not what BDSM looks like, everyone!! Because BDSM would imply mutual consent!!! Also there are two subtle references to Nazi Germany in this book which were kind of odd - they were supposed to be funny I think, but I thought they were a little bit tasteless.

fjordpingvin's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Incest, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Excrement, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism