Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

109 reviews

emilywemily6's review

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was so fun- is cozy horror a thing? The main character was hilarious and relatable, and I found myself laughing out loud a lot. There were definitely creepy elements, and I really didn’t know where the story was going, though in retrospective it was a well-thought-out storyline. I enjoyed the cast of characters and their depth. I wish that there was more horror, especially for the first 3/4 of the book, but there were horror elements throughout, I just hoped for more. I think more horror earlier in the book would have helped the pacing a little bit. This is a great intro to horror, though I could see that some people may still be really spooked by it. I listened on audio and loved the narrator *except* for their Phil voice. Overall, this made me excited to read other stuff by the author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racism, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Cannibalism

emmonsannae's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was such an excellent quick read! The plot was a catch from minute one, the pace is quick but not rushed, and the characters are a delight. What really makes this story is the narrator’s voice and personality—she is so real, deadpan, and well rounded as a character, and she really sells the story. It was so refreshing to have a narrator for whom being fat is a prominent characteristic while not being a consuming or a worrying one (her being an entomologist was a huge bonus).  If anything, I feel like the book could have been a little longer with a little more lead-up to the ending—I wasn’t completely sold on the resolution, but I think I might have been with some more buildup. This is a minor qualm. A great spooky October read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Blood, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

serenityfound's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

A quick, fun spooky read but not at all scary. An interesting twist on haunted houses.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail

purplepenning's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Gore, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent

bookshelf_al's review

dark funny mysterious tense 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

laelolou's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

I'd read Nettle and Bone earlier this year and loved it, so I wanted to read more by the author and this didn't disappoint. T. Kingfisher is so good with the imagery like you really feel uncomfortable reading it.

especially the part with the ladybugs all over the house and the underground children

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

analea_lucille's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse

zakura317's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, and Blood

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

hexedmaiden's review

funny fast-paced

3.75

 I really appreciate the fat representation and that our main character, Sam, is in no way described in a way that sounds disgusting. I definitely connected with her as someone who not only is fat but grew up chubby. 

I also enjoyed seeing a character with an interesting job as an archeologists entomologist! The entire cast of characters were so interesting. 

 

I also found the ties to Thelema and Alister Crowley so fun!! I feel like we don’t see them used that often in horror books.

 

I enjoyed the Southern Gothic vibes this had too. I definitely would rec this to anyone who was looking for something like that with some magic tossed in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Dementia and Fire/Fire injury

kurumipanda's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-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 and Fatphobia

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail