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lizardgod's review against another edition
- 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
I really can't decide if I hate this book or not, on some aspects, the trans representation is decent for the book's genre yet the only reason Frank is trans in the first place is due to trauma. It is interesting that the view of not aligning to the gender he was raised and the struggles with masculinity is more accurately depicted than most books written by actual trans authors. This book is honestly really good to me and my written summary does not do the book justice. It does take effort to start but it escalates very quickly once you realize what's going on. Also it starts with a lot of cryptic symbolism however all of it makes sense by the end instead of having to figure it out based on personal interpretation/author inference, a feature I personally enjoy in books.
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Stalking, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Gore, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Incest
pablollopez's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Transphobia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Murder, Child death, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Grief, Torture, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Body horror, and Blood
dmsullivan'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
4.0
Frank is not someone you want to be around, but it was interesting getting into his mindset, his daily routines and the rational of why he would do the things that he did (as terrifying and gruesome as they were).
This is a pretty short book, but at times it did feel a little too long with some of the descriptions of the mundane parts of his day. I wish the author would have used some of that space to give a little more background on the "twist" ending, which felt a bit rushed. And while Eric was terrifying, I personally wanted some sort of "answer" by the end, which we really didn't get. (I kept looking to see how many pages were left and wondering if we were going to get any answers by the end). However, this is the first book I've read by Banks (not the last) and this is possibly his writing style. Stories don't necessarily have to have an "end" to be thought-provoking.
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Torture, and Death
_egg_wash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Gaslighting
thomasdj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Murder, Torture, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Domestic abuse, and Body horror
Moderate: Misogyny
andrea96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Animal cruelty, and Torture
Minor: Xenophobia
ajsj456's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
kawooreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, and Violence
bunnyprincess's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Drug use
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Transphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Rape and Suicide