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anxiousnachos's review against another edition
5.0
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A 'shocking, grotesque, and downright filthy body horror novel' from Alison Rumfitt, okay just imprint on my soul before this book is even out then fuck
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
yassassin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Now onto the review. If you've read Rumfitt's book Tell Me I'm Worthless, you'll probably soon realize that Brainwyrms uses a different metaphor for the same issues: rising transphobia in the UK and the far-right radicalization pipeline. This isn't either praise or critique, in my opinon both metaphors work well to take you on a rollecoaster of feeling disgusted and terrified by the supernatural horrors, only to realize the segments accurately depicting reality are just as horrific. After all, what is a dangerous idea you find online other than a vicious worm trying to slither its way into your brain and multiply?
Then there is the other component of the novel: a very deep, detailed dive into extreme kink, mixed with a good portion of body horror and absolute psychological f*ckery. Even if I didn't let it get to me too much, I won't pretend like I didn't struggle to make it through certain chapters. I'm not completely convinced all of it was necessary, even in a horror novel.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
mandi_lea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
a_beautiful_soup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape
djbobthegirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Trafficking, Stalking, Abortion, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
hydecircus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death
ee_comins's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Abandonment
trashgobby's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Incest, Infertility, Violence, Excrement, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
k2_hancock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death and Incest
sparklysputnik's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
All trigger warnings are under graphic because most are regular topics and even if they aren't, the author is detailed and doesn't hold back on any of it. Not something I would recommend to many, especially those who haven't tried any transgressive horror before. Start at the shallow end with something else, then see if this is for you.