Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Christmasland by Joe Hill

42 reviews

painausten314's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia

spoookycat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug abuse and Forced institutionalization

peppers_books's review against another edition

4.0

this book has one of the best lines i have ever read in a book, i will remember this for as long as i can:  "he was hideous-old, not to mention hideous. his great bald skull was a globe mapping an alien moon" i actually cackled out loud, and this gem happens on page four

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

happyladyjadereads's review against another edition

Child abuse was more difficult to read than anticipated but the actual writing still great

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

ranocchietto's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I enjoyed the novel, I particularly liked the well-rounded characters, how each had its distinctive "voice" and the descriptions matched their personalities.

The book deals with cycles of trauma, growing up and the loss of innocence, and how people close to us make a difference in our lives, it was quite moving at times.

I would say my main problem was with the pacing, it felt unfocused towards the last third, it would have benefited from fewer digressions. I also felt the tone towards the end didn't match the tension the author was probably going for, but it didn't really spoil the experience for me.

Do check the content warnings before reading, it can get a bit heavy. The fatphobic undertones made it quite uncomfortable for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

1.75

Caution: There are animal deaths that get way more detail and time than the final deaths in the book.

You don't even see Vic die on page you just know she's gravely injured and then her son recollects that she died. Manx simply gets an engine to his chest. Hooper the dog gets hammered to near death and then ran over.

This book isn't so much horror as gore porn. It was a drag to push through from about 61% of the book on. One of the only fat characters gets a "happy ending" only once he becomes thin and goes to finish something saying he was told to when this wasn't ever shown to the reader.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Antisemitism, and Fire/Fire injury

latham9's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

mattotheratto's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity

tieflingkisser's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Pedophilia

sparky_young_upstart's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Death