Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Bestiary, by K-Ming Chang

19 reviews

juliej0715's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was so interesting and different for me. Everything is fantastical.
The beginning really hooks you in. Then the writing style takes some getting used to. Probably the middle 30-45% was kinda tough to follow, because you can't tell if what she is describing is actually happening or not? But then you get in a groove with the style and you understand what's happening. Once you get into the main plot, it's so consuming. The stories really feed your imagination with bold imagery and it becomes really poetic and beautiful.

Not to be too punny with the front cover, but this book is w i l d. It was crazy and fun and enjoyable and you can't put it down. It's different and I would recommend it!

And the day after I finished it, I was thinking about it so much that I read the ending again. I considered reading the whole thing again to see if there were things I missed, but the library book was due.

The story is pretty complicated to explain to anyone, so I convinced a friend to read it so I can actually discuss it with someone!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Excrement, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Gore, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, and Suicide attempt

meganzc's review

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

sucreslibrary's review

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

elizabethreading's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, and Vomit

stabigail_'s review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-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? No

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Blood, Child abuse, and Cursing

nocturnalreader's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Setting: Taiwan | Themes: Violent Impulses and Desire | Plot: Medium paced 

Author: K-Ming Chang 

Content Warning: Violence, Bodily functions/Amputation, and Child abuse 

 

Blurb: One evening, Mother tells Daughter a story about a tiger spirit who lived in a woman’s body. She was called Hu Gu Po, and she hungered to eat children, especially their toes. Soon afterwards, Daughter awakes with a tiger tail. And more mysterious events follow: Holes in the backyard spit up letters penned by her grandmother; a visiting aunt arrives with snakes in her belly; a brother tests the possibility of flight. All the while, Daughter is falling for Ben, a neighborhood girl with strange powers of her own. As the two young lovers translate the grandmother’s letters, Daughter begins to understand that each woman in her family embodies a myth–and that she will have to bring her family’s secrets to light in order to change their destiny. 

 

Bestiary is a retelling of Taiwanese folklore that weaves mythology across three generations with a queer love story. The story revolves around three generations of Taiwenese women Ama, mother, and daughter and as you proceed, the plot unfolds their story of their lives carried by a multigenerational secret which is marked by war, poverty, queer love, desire, survival, and immigration. 

 

I have mixed feelings about this book. Though the story is refreshing yet I felt the writing is crude which couldn’t help me to connect with the characters. The main challenge is with the strong and intense language with body fluid and visceral descriptions that couldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. 

However, there are moments that made me laugh and instances that are thought provoking. One can either thoroughly enjoy and love this book or might leave it behind. 

 

Thank you @NetGalley and @randomhouseUK for sharing the eArc in exchange for an honest review. 

 

Stars: 🐅🐅🐅🐅 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Violence, Sexual content, Gore, Domestic abuse, and Body horror

nnox's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

imiji's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

my GOD the way this book picked tf UP in the last half. k-ming chang is brilliant and as ever an absolute treat to read. this is one i want to carry with me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Blood

Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cannibalism

jamesflint's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gore