Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

19 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

I enjoyed this book enough, but it was too superficial. It would’ve been better if it had leaned into the grandmother’s backstory instead of explaining her personality in a couple of sentences. It would’ve given the book more depth and rationale as to her internal motives. Instead, the focus was on the mother, who was a plot device at best. Also, the conflict and denouement were anticlimactic in comparison to the buildup to the story climax. Felt like a good first effort, except the author is prolific and has been published since 2009.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

lillygabriella's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I do love a book where it is very clear the author knows the setting. Set in North Carolina, it's Southern Gothic in the manner of small out of the way towns rather than crumbling antebellum mansions. Personally I feel this makes it much more relatable. In a tiny decades old subdivision, Sam is visiting her mom, partly due to work reasons and partly because her brother was worried and asked her to check in. When she gets there is is clear that things are *not alright*. The rest of the book is Sam and her scientific mind trying to figure out what's going on while things get stranger and stranger. For details, go read the book. Seriously! It is so good! I cannot recommend this highly enough!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jillaay_h's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry

yappuccino's review

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A fun, creepy read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Bugs, teeth

otterforce's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It’s a solid read with an interesting cast and an ending that while mostly telegraphed is worth sticking around for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cannibalism and Murder

aseel_reads's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This was soooo creepy and 110% a horror book, all the bug stuff!! Eek!! Obsessed with how such a complete novel was started and ended in such a short amount of time, this author is slowly becoming a fave (I also love the new covers that have come out) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism

charlieeee's review against another edition

dark funny 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sai_like_sigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Blood, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

booksandbabble'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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.5

Review of A House with Good Bones

By: T King Fisher

            Samantha receives a call from her brother asking her to visit their mom in North Carolina, because he is worried about her.  Sam learns her brother is right and their mom is acting weird. She seems to be worried about saying anything bad her grandmother and has made the house exactly how Sam’s grandmother had it, 5os and racist décor.  Also, unsettling things are happening like pictures falling, lady bugs, and weird images like ghostly hands appearing in pictures, but Sam is a rational explanation kind of person.

            This is my second T King Fisher I have read (I listened to the book on audio book via Libby app.) and I enjoyed it.  The setting got my attention first and the premise intrigued me.  A story about generational trauma also got me interested, especially with a southern family.  Most people would probably argue for rational explanations in a situation like this, like our man character does, but when I know there will be a supernatural angle, I get frustrated when the main character argues that every time something weird happens.   I liked that we had a main character that was considered fat, but in the present of the story, she accepts that and isn’t insecure about her weight.   It does come up when we learn that her grandmother would call her piggy and point out that’s why she was alone. The grandmother is racist and bully, who thinks she doesn’t owe anyone and that just because she’s the mother that automatically means she’s right all the time.  She’s also a perfectionist. We see the racist mentality of her generation through her and one of the other’s neighbors.  I liked Phil and Gale’s characters.  Phil is easy going and will be supportive, not dismissing things as crazy right away.  He goes with the flow and tries to help in whatever way he can.  This probably isn’t a fair of me to say, but the narrator’s voice for Phil made me think he was an old man, but there’s a funny moment when Sam notices how “ripped” he is, and I realized he’s supposed to be her age.  A couple of other funny moments were when she first meets Phil and threatens him, because she thinks he's a burglar.  I also thought the scene when she has to talk to his father/grandfather so she can talk to Phil. Gale is the grandmother Sam should have had.  She’s wise, nurturing, and supportive of Sam and her mother. I also stories that include a character that’s a Wiccan.    A lot of us can relate to generational differences causing us to have divides between children, parents, and grandparents.  It wouldn’t call this scary just suspenseful, creepy, and unsettling.  There are a creepy elements such as images of a hand in a photograph, voices whispering in Sam’s ear, and vultures.   There also bugs particularly lady bugs.  I like the moments when Sam is learning her family history about her grandfather.  I had a good time with listening to this story and I was good with the narrator, despite my petty quibble with her male voice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship