Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

8 reviews

katrinky's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

3.5

too gruesome for me, and I didn't think the extensive family tree added much. there were several really beautiful (sakonige) and poignant (deer woman, Ama's appearance in the zombie story, the dad of the girl with the abusive ex, the cousin in the carbon monoxide story) moments, and the artwork is gorgeous. the vocabulary on the back was wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child death, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Grief, Violence, and Sexual violence

rorikae's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-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

4.25

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers is a collection of horror short stories that incorporate classic horror creatures with the lived experiences of Indigenous teens. I really appreciated that the collection has a variety of stories of different lengths, both those that are short and horrifically to the point along with those that are longer and tell a more developed story. 
Rogers does a great job of creating subtly creeping horror elements that pair with more overt horror creatures . My favorite stories include the titular Man Made Monsters, which delves into ideas of literary monsters and bringing people and animals back from the dead. Maria Most likely, which delves into horrific memories and what would happen if they could be removed. Me and My Monsters, which is a monster love story that looks at how humanity can often be more monstrous than monstrous creatures. Ama's Boys which tackles how a seemingly young girl who is actually a vampire preys on teen boys. American Predators, which follows one boy's experience with shooting a movie and the racism that Indigenous people have to deal with on a daily basis. And Zombies Attack the Drive-In, which deals with domestic abuse, familial trauma, and of course zombies. 
I am fascinated to see what Rogers writes next as she has a great feel for atmosphere and creating creeping horror. I would love to read more of her work, particularly in a longer format as I really appreciate what she did in her longer stories with character development and painting a full picture of the characters' lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Colonisation

kayladaila's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Gore

Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Racial slurs, Animal death, Child death, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Cancer, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Rape, and Child abuse

hilaryreadsbooks's review

4.0

[Thank you Levine Querido for the gifted copy]

Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers’ YA debut, MAN MADE MONSTERS, is a thrilling horror collection of short stories, tracing one Cherokee family through generations. There’s monsters, medical experimentation, the dead coming back to life, revenge…this collection is definitely not for the faint of heart. These monsters are man made in many different ways. Some are creatures of popular culture, others are distinctly Cherokee, but the most terrifying to me are those that are man themselves: colonizers, abusers, and the other stone-hearted people who walk hidden among the rest of us.

These stories are fast-paced and often quite short, good for a small, digestible read or a quick story right before bedtime (if you dare). The illustrations by Jeff Edwards are also absolutely gorgeous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Torture, Physical abuse, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Death, Murder, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

bookshelf_al's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Short story collections are usually hit or miss for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The stories are just the right amount of spooky/creepy while also hitting on real world issues. I didn't realize the time connections until later in the book, but I think that's brilliant. Spanning a wide range of time, looking at the same family. It really creates an interconnectedness for the stories throughout.

Honestly, if you're looking for something a little bit creepy to read this October, I'd recomend this! The audiobook was fantastically done, and you get a wide range of monsters in it. Both huuman and non-human.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Murder, and Body horror

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Child death

Minor: Child abuse, Body shaming, and Bullying

stracciastela's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

okay WOW 
i came into this book with no expectations AT ALL and was blown away by these amazing interlocking stories that spanned literal centuries.
it had very effective horror and thriller elements paired with an emotional vulnerability that made me fall in love with all our main characters.
i also love the inclusion of Cherokee words in every story & the dictionary in the back!
I can't wait to pick this up physically asap!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

5.0

This collection of interconnected stories by Cherokee author Andrea L. Rogers will appeal to teens as well as adults.  Following the same family tree over 200 years, these tales of horror range from historical to futuristic and feature tropes and characters both feared and beloved.  Strong female leads are abundant and Cherokee language is speckled throughout (glossary included).  Man Made Monsters is the perfect decolonized spooky read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Colonisation, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Medical content, Child death, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Pregnancy, Outing, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Vomit, Car accident, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Child abuse, and Slavery