Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

9 reviews

g_monaghan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

The pacing was a bit slow in the middle and the descriptions of the monster may turn a few stomaches but a great contribution to modern gothic feminist literature. 
"Pride was the sin of believing oneself capable of great things, worthy of better. It was the worst sin a woman could commit. Had I pride? Of course"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death

eleanora's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Child death, Violence, Homophobia, Gore, Lesbophobia, and Sexism

Minor: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Gaslighting

lira_the_recluse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Narration is exquisite. The fiction seems to be expertly weaved with the real world history. The science and process was grotesque and captivating. Mary Elizabeth Frankenstein is a force to be reckoned with, and I wish her all the best adventures.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Ableism, Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Racism and Child death

Minor: Death of parent

natahoochie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Coulda been gayer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Xenophobia, Medical content, Racism, Child death, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Classism, Chronic illness, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

therebeckening's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Animal cruelty, and Sexism

Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, and Child death

Minor: Lesbophobia and Miscarriage

Gambling, financial abuse,

n0elle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I have mixed feelings about this one. For one, I absolutely love classic retellings, especially if they’re sapphic and this one was a very interesting take on the original story of Frankenstein. 
Now, while I do know the author tried hard to make it appear historically correct, I found it absolutely exhausting to read hundreds of pages of men dictating the protagonist’s life, telling her what she can and can’t do, how she should behave, what (little) she’s worth. 
I’m all for women in STEM, driven by ambition and scientific ideas that lead through breakthroughs. BUT if  her ideas and success are always overshadowed by a man or even taken by a man, while she just sits idly by.. that’s infuriating, historically correct but still infuriating. And while the main character did get mad about these things, she always stayed quiet. In the rare moments she didn’t, she was belittled and reprimanded so much, I felt the shame of being a woman bleed through the pages. 
Maybe the writing was just too good and too real and it made me feel so many emotions, some of which I could have gone without. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual harassment, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Death, Grief, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Sexism, Classism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racism, and Terminal illness

lily_marigold's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Child death, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Blood, Animal death, and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcohol and Violence

nefariousbee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring slow-paced

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

3.0

Underwhelming. I kept waiting for the main even to come, the monstrous, the hideous to begin, and it never did. The strangest thing is, if the writing allowed it, it would have? What I mean is in theory, what they sis was terrible and monstrous, only the way we are told the story doesn't really do it justice. 
I am frankly disappointed. This could have been exciting, dark, passionate... but it fell flat. Somehow it was barely dark. In my opinion this could have been a great book, but it needed to lean into the horror, and do some serious editing. As it is, it's just. Fine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Ableism, Chronic illness, Gore, Animal death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Classism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse

saloninareads's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Ooooo, this was good! It has a slow start, really my biggest real issue, but the pay off is worth it. Henry is probably one of the most frustrating. men I've ever encountered in a book but it works so well. Mary is brilliant, kind, stubborn and gloriously ANGRY. The author did such a good job with characterization and atmosphere in this book. My only problem was...

It needed more of the creature. 

I'm a paleontology nerd. The creature was adorable. It needed more time on the page. It's just a baby abomination that wants to hang out with its mom and play fetch.

All in all I'm very excited to see future stuff from C.E. McGill. What an excellent debut!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Animal death, and Child death