Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

7 reviews

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, and Cancer

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Toxic friendship

libscote's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense 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

4.75

This collection of short stories loosely covers a Cherokee family over generations. It starts with a sixteen year old girl, Ama, being turned into a vampire against her will, and go from there. There are monster stories, more emotional horror, and science fiction horror. Some end happily, some do not. All will haunt you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

jenna_smuszkiewicz's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

I picked this book up on a  whim and I'm glad I picked it up! The illustrations are gorgeous in this. I also think it is cool how we follow a family from the 1830s to the future in 2039. I'm not Cherokee, and I really enjoyed learning some Cherokee words and seeing the syllabary used in the art in particular. There are some classic monsters in here like

vampires and werewolves

but also ones that I think are from Cherokee folklore. Some of the monsters featured here are everyday horrors we face and some characteristics of humans as well. I'm not that big into horror, and I didn't find this book to be that bad. Definitely look at content warnings though. 

My biggest critiques or personal preferences are that while separating it into chapters and jumping around the family tree was cool, I didn't get to really connect with the characters. I'm a big character reader so that's a personal preference thing. I think the jumping around does work for this book though and I get why it was done. Also, one big thing from the family tree that I don't understand:

How is Will Wilson's branch of the tree there? I thought he was the baby that died from the vampire in the first chapter. So, that really confused me.

If you are looking for a unique horror book that showcases many types of things that go bump in the night, I would highly recommend this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Cultural appropriation

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

caidyn's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

Another fantastic, generational book that I've read this month. Each story has a tinge of horror to it. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, reanimation, and other creatures follow this family through the generations. And I loved the artwork at the start of each chapter!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Grief, and Homophobia

Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse

svangleboyer's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

 Man Made Monsters is an AMAZING horror anthology full of Cherokee culture, some scary and some lighter horror stories, and an interesting take on an anthology where the stories all relate to back to the Wilson and/or Stone families.

I have always loved Native American storytelling traditions since I was young and my mother took the whole family to Pow Wows where we watched their dancing, ate their delicious food, and listened to the wonderful storytellers as they take you on a journey. I feel like Man Made Monsters took me right back to those treasured moments and Andrea L. Rogers really brought out the storytelling so well it was like I was transported through time and all the stories. I also really appreciated that the author provided a glossary in the back because I did have to use it a time or two.

All of the stories are FANTASTIC and have a unique twist or spin to them that make them very memorable. While I loved them all, my favorite stories were An Old-Fashioned Girl, Man Made Monsters, Maria Most Likely, American Predators, Lens, and I Come from the Water. They were something I hadn't seen before and will definitely stick with me for a long time to come.

As if the stories were great enough, Jeff Edwards blew me away with his GORGEGOUS illustrations!! I love that he used the Cherokee Syllabary in each illustration because I really enjoy seeing their writing style and their characters.

I HIGHLY recommend Man Made Monsters to all fans of horror anthologies, all fans of Native American mythology especially of the Cherokee nation, and anyone who is curious to learn more about Native American culture. Really though, EVERYONE should read this one. There is something for everyone! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Domestic abuse

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