Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

7 reviews

punk_flower_child's review

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

Horrifying. Riveting. So amazing. It really seems like the person who wrote it knows what being deeply involved in a church is like

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Cursing, Homophobia, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death, Gaslighting, and Medical content

shiftycow1313's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

10/10, this book skyrocketed Chuck Tingle into my favorite authors. I LOVED this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Medical content, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, and Deadnaming

machewson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow!  I consider myself to be a fairly slow reader, but I started and finished this book in one day.  It's not particularly long and I could not put it down.  The journey we go on in this book of self acceptance and love is absolutely incredible.  If you only read one book this year or even this decade make it this one.  I don't want to get into any spoilers, but if you are a queer person I can't recommend this book highly enough.  It feels cathartic, loving and incredible from start to finish.  The mystery and suspense absolutely keep you glued to this book until the last sentence.  I know this is rambling but my god this book has me feeling all kinds of ways.  This is very easily going in my top five all time reads.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, Car accident, Confinement, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Murder

betsythegremlin's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Car accident, Medical content, Homophobia, Body horror, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

flyingryndeer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Vomit

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Suicide

matthewosborne's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.5

Not exactly the book I thought I was getting, but a good read all the same.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Transphobia

justanotherfinalgirlreview's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Welcome to Camp Damascus, the most successful christian camp, where all your bodily sin’s including homosexuality can be cured permanently. Our methods work so well, your child won’t even remember coming here, nor will they have any recollection of their previous sinful desires. But if, god forbid,if any camper does have any recurring desires, we personally guarantee their own demons will keep them under control for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Your satisfaction is a guarantee.

However, The Kingdom of the Pine Church never expected a camper quite like Neverton local Rose Darling, an on the spectrum, fact based and highly religious 20 year old girl.

As a "secular" girl myself, the first half of the novel was a slow start, with many religious references flying right over my head. I did not understand Rose's love of religion and found the Darling family a little weird. But as I got further into the book I truly began to appreciate the story and how texts can be used and manipulated for personal gain. I've grown up on the stories about how horrible Catholic education was for my father and his brothers, with all three boys finding unique ways to be uninvited back to school (including a streaking incident). The book really started to pick up for me halfway through and I could not put it down. I fell in love with Rose and Saul, their strange friendship and united goal. Rose's weird facts kept me hooked, and made me want to know more.  Chuck Tingle created a wonderful LGBTQIA+ and Religious Horror novel filled with gory visceral body horror that will have you looking for the nearest garbage bin to throw up in thanks to the transmissions from the other side. I highly recommend enrolling yourself in Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus this July!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to get an advanced readers copy, this book got me through a long hospital visit, and Rose being there too at the vending machines made me feel so much less alone

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Torture, Transphobia, Body horror, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Violence