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kris_t97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Very well-paced book showing the darkness of humanity and the unknown.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, and Torture
There are a lot of graphic themes in this story, so I wouldn't recommend it if these themes are triggering. More of the main character's background is shown later on, but from the first page, there is a lot of dangerous and problematic behaviour experience by her.soaphest's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.75
started very strong, well-paced, but the story lost its steam a bit the further it went on. characters weren’t really given much depth so even when jen and griffin died i didn’t feel a particular way about it because we really didn’t get to know them that well. there was some lost potential with the whole creature aspect of this book and the conclusion wasn’t as satisfying as i had hoped for it to be. still, henry has a way of writing which makes you finish her books in just hours. ultimately i love reading her works & this book was no different. overall it was a very compelling read but i just wasn’t particularly wowed by it in the end.
also i was a bit confused how the whole plot point of heather was just dropped out of nowhere? it was made into this huge thing & ultimately nobody knew anything about her and it was never explained why that was, which also made the ending feel a bit rushed and abrupt
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Drug use
cursivewolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Heartbreaking all around. You really feel for the main character and the struggle of her abuse. I wish the creature plot line had been expanded on more, but overall I enjoyed the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Animal death, Confinement, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death of parent and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Rape, Mental illness, and Vomit
lizzie_anjali's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Murder, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, and Body horror
Minor: Abortion and Animal death
nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
zakcebulski's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
This book was a random pickup at a Barnes and Noble. I was perusing the horror section when I found this book. I am a bit of a fiend for books having a setting wherein there is a snowbound isolation like setting and this book does that well!
I was initially surprised by the setup of this book. I originally thought that it was going to be a bit of a "The Thing" but in book form, when in reality, this was a nice mix of Misery mixed with any monster flick.
The story starts off with Mattie and her abusive husband William. They reside on a snow covered mountain in a cabin with no running water, and a setup that is reminiscent of an old school homestead. No running water, no electricity, the woman (Mattie) is forced to do tasks that are beset upon her by her husband, William. If she wavers, or does not do them to his preference, she is beaten and abused.
At one instance, Mattie is checking traps in the forest when she finds tracks to an animal she cannot believe the size of- this introduces us to the part of the book that is least compelling.
I thought that the storyline between William and Mattie was exceptionally well done. I loved how Christina Henry starts off by explaining their relationship in a way that we just seem to be witnessing an (abhorrent) abusive marriage. However, I gradually got to notice that so much more was wrong in this relationship. It eventually comes to light that William actually abducted and gaslit Mattie, real name Samantha, to be his wife due to his rampant religious mania. At the time he also killed her mother, as he was the mother's boyfriend. He truly believes himself to be owed a wife and sons given to him by God. If this book would have been more focused on this, I think that it would have been even more scary and unnerving that it was when it was sharing the pages with a monster.
William abducted Samantha (Mattie), re-Christened her, raped her and killed her mother while also regularly beating her. It was so amazing to watch her transform and take back her life from the broken state she was in at the beginning of the book. When she eventually kills William, it does feel like a bit of a hollow victory as we know the amount of trauma that she endured, but, she truly killed the demon that was plaguing her life and I thought that this was fantastic. It was absolutely upsetting to read, and I got a chill down my spine when I realized the true extent of William's abuse toward Samantha, but, seeing her overcome this was a huge triumph.
I thought that this was the most compelling part of the story by far, as we learn more and more about Samantha and her life by the introduction of three additional characters- C.P., Griffin and Jen. These are three cryptozoologists who are looking for the exact mystery monster that Mattie and William bear witness to.
I thought that these three characters were not my favorite. These characters were so goddamn boring to read. I felt that they were extremely inconsistent and very shoe-horned in. There are two instances wherein these characters are killed and C.P. the last of the hiker trio is very upset at one second and then is cracking jokes and making funny remarks a second later. It just felt very odd to me, as if the characters were introduced just to give the monster a kill count.
Speaking of the monster, I found this part to be a very boring part to read. I never felt like the monster reached full fruition, and in fact, it came to be sort of annoying to read. Every time that I read that it roared, I thought "oh okay?". It just wasn't scary to me, and it felt very convenience based for the characters. Some times they are being attacked because they are a threat, and then other times they're not a threat? C'mon, I get it is a scary monster, but, just have it be a scary monster without this whole deal of having it be more than that. It doesn't need to be complex by organizing bones and hanging kills from trees- just have it be something like a goddamn evil spirit like a wendigo or something. The whole plot point of it can move silently didn't build up any suspense for me, it felt like a cheap inclusion to attempt to build suspense that never worked out. The monster always roars to announce itself, except these specific times when it is silent- why? PLOT CONVINIENCE. I think that this was my least favorite part of the book because it truly did feel like Henry wanted the monster and William to be equally as scary to create a feeling of claustrophobia, but, it didn't. It created a huge imbalance between the truly scary William who is fueled by religious mania, and who is shown to be a murderer, rapist and child abductor, and a fake monster that can pop up whenever it wants.
Overall, I thought that this was a good story. I found myself wanting more from it, and I felt that there were aspects of it that were not handled greatly- in my opinion, of course. But, I still found this to be an absolutely compelling page-turner that read like a damn movie.
#FuckWilliam
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
archaicrobin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
I absolutely love myself a good creature feature, especially one so well written! In this winter horror novel, Mattie finds herself prey to not only her “husband” who has held her captive and abused her for years, but she is also suddenly the prey of a strange and vicious creature that has made the caves near her cabin it’s home. When some cryptozoologists stumble across Mattie and William’s cabin they also stumble across the creature, and Mattie’s struggle to survive takes another turn.
I loved Mattie as a character as well as the cryptozoologists she meets. You want them to survive! This was a great blend of creature feature and survival horror that I could not put down. Highly recommend reading Near the Bone for the perfect winter horror vibes!
I loved Mattie as a character as well as the cryptozoologists she meets. You want them to survive! This was a great blend of creature feature and survival horror that I could not put down. Highly recommend reading Near the Bone for the perfect winter horror vibes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Murder
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
Every time I think I can't possibly love Christina Henry even more, she releases another book that blows me away and proves me wrong. Near the Bone is quite possibly my favorite thing I've read from her so far, and I can easily see it landing in my favorite books of the year list. This book was shocking, captivating, and utterly unputdownable — literally, I wasn't even willing to take a break for dinner until I finished it, and ended up inhaling the entire book in one sitting because I was so drawn in that I had to know what would happen next right this moment.
Near the Bone is a tough read at its core, as it follows Mattie, a woman who is trapped in a brutal marriage that is abusive in every possible sense of the word. Christina Henry doesn't shy away from showing the ugly details, but it never feels overly gratuitous, either (and the sexual abuse is off-page, which many readers like myself will undoubtedly appreciate).Mattie is beaten down, but not broken, and her spirit is incredibly brave beneath the veneer of timidity she displays to keep herself safe. I loved Mattie so much and I think that's a big part of why Near the Bone held me captive so well: I needed Mattie to make it, and I couldn't look away until her fate played out.
This is a monster story, sure — there's a fantastic, eerie creature that stalks the residents and animals of the secluded mountain Mattie lives on — but I would caution readers not to go into this story expecting a full-blown creature feature. At its core, Near the Bone strikes me more as a commentary on abuse than anything else: the world abuse survivors live in, the ways that abuse can create a fear and trauma that stalks their daily life, and the reactions on-lookers have, whether it's victim-blaming, or undying love and support.
I have more I want to say, but all of it is spoiler-y, so click the tag at your own risk:I was fascinated by the monster's refusal to attack Mattie herself, and quickly theorized that perhaps the monster had been seeing the abuse as it happened and was attempting to protect her in its own way. We learned at the end that the monster was simply a parent protecting its young, and with Mattie being barely an adult herself, I still think, just maybe, that the "monster" was Mattie's greatest ally in the end. Even when it took her companions, it seemed to specifically target whoever might be standing between Mattie and her freedom at any given time, and that feels significant to me.
Back to the point, though: truly, I adored every single page of this heart-wrenching, suspenseful read. With a heroine I cheered for every step of the way, a villain I loathed with every fiber of my being, and a beautiful, intense wintry scenery that gave me chills despite the warmth and safety of my home, Christina Henry absolutely blew away every (already high) expectation I had and made Near the Bone a powerful and memorable story that I already can't wait to re-visit.
✨ Representation: a side character is Asian (briefly mentioned)
Near the Bone is a tough read at its core, as it follows Mattie, a woman who is trapped in a brutal marriage that is abusive in every possible sense of the word. Christina Henry doesn't shy away from showing the ugly details, but it never feels overly gratuitous, either (and the sexual abuse is off-page, which many readers like myself will undoubtedly appreciate).Mattie is beaten down, but not broken, and her spirit is incredibly brave beneath the veneer of timidity she displays to keep herself safe. I loved Mattie so much and I think that's a big part of why Near the Bone held me captive so well: I needed Mattie to make it, and I couldn't look away until her fate played out.
This is a monster story, sure — there's a fantastic, eerie creature that stalks the residents and animals of the secluded mountain Mattie lives on — but I would caution readers not to go into this story expecting a full-blown creature feature. At its core, Near the Bone strikes me more as a commentary on abuse than anything else: the world abuse survivors live in, the ways that abuse can create a fear and trauma that stalks their daily life, and the reactions on-lookers have, whether it's victim-blaming, or undying love and support.
I have more I want to say, but all of it is spoiler-y, so click the tag at your own risk:
Back to the point, though: truly, I adored every single page of this heart-wrenching, suspenseful read. With a heroine I cheered for every step of the way, a villain I loathed with every fiber of my being, and a beautiful, intense wintry scenery that gave me chills despite the warmth and safety of my home, Christina Henry absolutely blew away every (already high) expectation I had and made Near the Bone a powerful and memorable story that I already can't wait to re-visit.
✨ Representation: a side character is Asian (briefly mentioned)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Gun violence
louisegraveyard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Vomit
caseofspades's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Child death, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Child abuse