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Reviews tagging 'Body horror'
Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror by Sofia Ajram
3 reviews
ellewhyoh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The relationship between queerness and horror is a long and complicated one (check out “It Came from the Closet” if you’re interested in some nonfiction on the topic) and this collection proudly takes its place in that intersection. It was at times tragic, gruesome, heartfelt, and satisfying.
The ones that really hurt my heart are the ones that, if not based on true stories, are a story we’ve heard again and again—a transgender woman desperate to feel whole in her body undergoes a risky surgery, a young man flashes to all of the small moments of joy he wished he had taken when faced with death dealt by human monsters, a community is left wanting by the medical establishment, etc.
My favorite story in terms of sheer writing was "Cleodora." The author of that piece, August Clark, just has a way with language that leads me to hit the "highlight" button again and again.
Short story collections have a hard time getting 5 stars from me just because there are almost always highlights and lowlights, but overall this was a very solid, enjoyable collection.
Be aware that there is some fairly graphic violence and body horror-- I somewhat wish that this book did what another queer horror collection that I read recently did, which is provide some content warnings in the back of the book for anyone who knew they had specific triggers.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The ones that really hurt my heart are the ones that, if not based on true stories, are a story we’ve heard again and again—a transgender woman desperate to feel whole in her body undergoes a risky surgery, a young man flashes to all of the small moments of joy he wished he had taken when faced with death dealt by human monsters, a community is left wanting by the medical establishment, etc.
My favorite story in terms of sheer writing was "Cleodora." The author of that piece, August Clark, just has a way with language that leads me to hit the "highlight" button again and again.
Short story collections have a hard time getting 5 stars from me just because there are almost always highlights and lowlights, but overall this was a very solid, enjoyable collection.
Be aware that there is some fairly graphic violence and body horror-- I somewhat wish that this book did what another queer horror collection that I read recently did, which is provide some content warnings in the back of the book for anyone who knew they had specific triggers.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Sexual content
shrikebait's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Man...tragic is right.
This anthology is not for the faint of heart. It managed to make me squirm one moment and break my heart the next. There is plenty of grotesque, otherworldly horror, but the core of this collection is the real-world horror queer folks face.
In my opinion, all of the stories are well-written and fit the theme of this anthology. That being said, some just did not capture my attention as well as others. I would still recommend this as a solid anthology for fans of queer horror.
Thank you to the authors and to BookSirens for the opportunity to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
This anthology is not for the faint of heart. It managed to make me squirm one moment and break my heart the next. There is plenty of grotesque, otherworldly horror, but the core of this collection is the real-world horror queer folks face.
In my opinion, all of the stories are well-written and fit the theme of this anthology. That being said, some just did not capture my attention as well as others. I would still recommend this as a solid anthology for fans of queer horror.
Thank you to the authors and to BookSirens for the opportunity to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Murder, Vomit, Alcoholism, Bullying, Terminal illness, Drug use, Violence, Body horror, Sexual content, Gore, and Cursing
Moderate: Suicide, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
arsene_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. It was gritty, "in your face" and incredibly honest with its readers. This happens exactly to most LGBTQ+ members, especially with how critical the stories are that it almost seems like a non-fiction at this point, telling stories of real people and it's what sucked me in as I read through the contents. There were times when it was difficult for me to go on because of how seemingly "real" the stories are. I don't usually squirm but the medical horror that comes with this collection made me turn my device off and find a breather. Otherwise, I would be too anxious to read on. I love the emotions that made me feel while reading this book. It's incredibly alarming to the point that I could almost live the way these people lived. While my experience is not as horrific, I find myself wishing them all the best in the end. There's no way I could live the way they lived in fear of the backlash from the default community, much less from the same community I'm a part of. I fear so much while reading this book that I placed this as my favorite collection thus far for 2024.
This is a memorable read and I believe the author intended to scare readers and with that, they succeeded. To pick a favorite from the collection is a difficult job to consider, I don't know how people do so I'll skip what my favorite parts are and move on to the fact that this book revolves around the haunting lives of different people, all members of the LGBTQ+ community, a community that I personally am a part of. Hence, everything felt so real and intimidating, I know there's a lot of adjectives at this point on how much I felt tormented by the book. If at all I was given a chance to receive this book, I would cry. That's how much I feel for the book. I normally look at the book at a rational perspective but this hit deep within me that I just can't help but spill my guts and emotions into it.
This is written for people like me, I just know it. And I hope this book reaches more people and touch their lives the way that it did mine. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a memorable read and I believe the author intended to scare readers and with that, they succeeded. To pick a favorite from the collection is a difficult job to consider, I don't know how people do so I'll skip what my favorite parts are and move on to the fact that this book revolves around the haunting lives of different people, all members of the LGBTQ+ community, a community that I personally am a part of. Hence, everything felt so real and intimidating, I know there's a lot of adjectives at this point on how much I felt tormented by the book. If at all I was given a chance to receive this book, I would cry. That's how much I feel for the book. I normally look at the book at a rational perspective but this hit deep within me that I just can't help but spill my guts and emotions into it.
This is written for people like me, I just know it. And I hope this book reaches more people and touch their lives the way that it did mine. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Medical trauma, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, and Bullying
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