Reviews tagging 'Death'

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

61 reviews

jasperdotpdf's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Pedophilia

Minor: Rape

anamariac_24601's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Blood

typedtruths's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage and Death of parent

graveyardreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

anna_hepworth's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

5.0

I don't think I've read anything quite this dark recently. I knew going in that Henry tends to write at the darker end of what I am comfortable with, and this was even more so than expected. It does a fabulous job of bringing to the page a particular type of B-grade horror movie.

And while I absolutely loved it, I can't think of a single person, horror fan or no, to whom I could honestly recommend it. Henry has outdone themself in terms of WTAF.

I've seen in some other reviews complaints about the ambiguity, and the fact that there are story threads not resolved. I loved this -- this is not a story of resolution, it is a story of beginning. Almost as if it is a prequel to a very different story. And while I would be fascinated to find out how that story could come from this one, I'm not sure that I want to read it. 

some rather rambling thoughts, all of which are at least some spoilery:

• I had to put the book down about 20 pages from the end, just to take a breath, because I hadn't expected more than one person to make it off the mountain
• the juxtaposition of the human and cryptid monsters, their capriciousness, and the way that both make things worse for our protagonist is so well done
• I get the narrative reason for Mattie to make their own resolution, their own justice, but it frustrated me as a plot point
• the fact that there are no children at the beginning of the story made no sense. The sense that came as the story continued was awful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Murder

I will have missed warnings; it is so very dark.

readwithbells's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.5

Reading this is what I imagine reading thrillers for everyone else is like. It went at a breakneck pace, I couldn’t stop until it was over, and the fact that I was more scared of the human monster than the actual cryptid monster says a lot. It was suspenseful, and sad, and the ending was well-deserved and definitely earned. All the characters were great, the ones you’re supposed to like you like right away and when Henry tells us what’s actually going on, I think we’d all go try and kill that human monster ourselves. Totally fantastic, absolutely worth the hype. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

ladykatka's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Wow that was dark from start to finish. The abuse that is endured is graphic and quite realistic when describing how she feels and how she is beaten down. This reminded me of a few real-life news stories from years ago. However, that is not what I thought this story was going to be about. I have read several other books by the author so I was expecting it to be more about the cryptid, and the cryptid did not feature as heavily as I was lead to believe. In fact, the cryptid could have been taken out of the story all together and William could have been made to

kill the other characters

and the ending would have been the same. So that is why I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

READ CONTENT WARNINGS
This book! It was highly recommended by a YouTuber I watch and you know what? It was really good. It was scary, especially so since I live in a wooded area and I read it at night. I'm glad I didn't read this in winter because then for sure I'd be even more scared. I do have some questions involving Mattie and the creature but the answers, or lack of them really, do not seriously detract from the book as a whole. Super fast paced and kept me interested the whole time.

I wish Griffin and Jen could've made it out of the mountains with CP and Samantha. Griffin was clearly a good dude and had good friends. Wish we could've found out about how they explained their deaths and how Samantha and CP carried on and healed afterwards. Def would've liked to see a Sam-Heather reunion after all those years

I need to read something light/feel good now since this was a pretty heavy book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Vomit, and Grief

budgie's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

mmwi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail