Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

123 reviews

ab1gail_g's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Murder, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Blood, Animal death, Death, and Gore

cartimandua's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Misogyny, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

rarityfemme's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Note: I don't like giving star ratings as I dont really understand the system. Please forgive the lack of one.

I hate to admit that I enjoyed this book, but I really did.

Its a great horror/thriller read with a lot of very dark plot points and a twist that I wasnt expecting at all. (I am a bit daft though, I'll be the first to admit it)

If you're a sensitive reader I highly recommend thoroughly perusing the trigger warnings, as they'll definitely be needed. 

All in all, if you're someone who can handle dark topics I'd recommend this to you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Transphobia and Body horror

emmastevvenson's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

This shit is crazy. I’d be concerned if you’re not at least a little disturbed by this book, however it is intriguing and a good read. I enjoy the unreliable narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

beitidh_flitcroft's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

horrifically graphic in places, but utterly captivating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, Violence, Death, and Child abuse

saintgroovy's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a uniquely dark and detached story, and taking the journey throughout daily life and memory with Frank gives insight into the psychopathic mind. You’ll find yourself confronted with the most monstrous of human behavior, while tackling Franks complete apathy towards his own actions. At times it’s funny how easily Frank justifies doing something terrible, and the roundabout ways he explains the need for cruelty.
I think the themes of gender identity and masculinity lead to such a complicated conclusion, not only for our narrator but for us. Do you hold sympathy for a person who is incapable of feeling any themselves? 
This is a story of both a victim and a perpetrator, who in the end holds no deep feelings about anything at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Dysphoria, Violence, Torture, and Animal cruelty

I think there’s so much to be said about Frances and how she thinks about herself and how she justifies murdering people with her own victimhood. Ultimately it’s no different than the thousands of reasons she gives us during the book, it’s just the best reason she could have been given. It’s shown over and over that she enjoys herself the most when she’s perceived to be the victim of tragedy, because she gets sympathy without any effort. But in the end- Her father was always as deeply a monster as her, and her brother. What a messed up story, I love how much it’s made me think

dragonootch's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Animal cruelty

mark_74's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is a very dark story. Take heed of the content warnings as they probably don't do justice to how vicious and grotesque this is in places. At the same time though I couldn't stop reading it, it is as fascinating as it is disturbing. I've actually read this three times now, leaving a long gap between each so I can recover, and I still love it and loathe it as much as I did the first time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Gore, Violence, Misogyny, Child death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

paguroidea's review against another edition

Dragging along more than i’d care for and I don’t care enough to know how it ends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty

azrealz's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A pretty dark, but interesting book. I like Ian Banks's writing style, and he did a good job with keeping me hooked, and having well done reveals. But not an easy book to read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, and Animal death