Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

35 reviews

linetyyni's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Violence

unicornsbookshelf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

 The concept was great but unfortunately, most of it fell flat to me. The characters were very one-dimensional. Most of the creature horror happened off-screen and was very much sidelined for the husband. I understand what it was trying to do but sadly it didn't work for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Sexual violence, and Murder

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

tormerritt's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

1.0

This book was awful... To be honest, one of the worst I've read in a while.
**SPOILERS AHEAD** because I need to discuss why this book was so terrible.

First, this book provided a blurb that was somewhat deceiving and didn't give necessary information.

All it stated about one of the main characters, William, is that he is always angry, not that he abuses and rapes Martha or "Mattie" (Samantha, her real name). That is so much more than anger and what bothered me is that the characters were so one-dimensional we know nothing about why William is the way he is.
There are so many plot holes and I have so many questions.
- The biggest question is what the actual f*ck is this "monster" that seems to be hunting them? It's never addressed in the story, except that it might be a bear, or bigfoot, or some cryptid creature. It's described to be so large and on a furious rampage, and attacks their friends in front of them, but they never see it? It's too unrealistic for me.
- What ever happened to Samantha's sister?
- Why are these characters laughing and discussing grilled cheese and cell phones when a human heart was just thrown through the window?
- Where was William hiding out at after Mattie, Jennifer, and C.P. locked themselves in the cabin?
- Why are they so nonchalant for watching their friends get murdered by some unknown creature, all the wile being injured themselves, sleep deprived, and running from this thing on the mountain.
I listened to the Audiobook so maybe it was the narrator, but I don't know of anyone who has so much discussion of casual topics and heavy inner dialogue while literally running for their lives.
The ending pissed me off. C.P.'s arm is bitten off by this creature, Mattie (Samantha) throws William off a cliff. Jennifer's unconscious body that they have been dragging down the mountain on a sled is taken by the creature thing. They suddenly find a road and a truck, jump in and drive to the nearest police station. C.P. falls asleep in the driver's seat and she walks in to the police station, and tells them her name is Samantha (the girl who has been kidnapped and missing for 12 years now). The end.

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?
This was just so bad and terribly executed. I would not reccomend this to anyone.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

This book is filled with to the brim with Trigger Warnings, but none were provided before reading. Please read with caution.

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.

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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.

theknitterwithabook's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Wow!

The beginning, with all the domestic abuse and religious bigotry, was very rough to go through. But then you see hope and it keeps you going. 

The book is full of twists and turns. Up until the end, you get no rest. It keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Torture, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Pedophilia

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)

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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

p4ncakeprincess's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, 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

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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

thespinystacks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This was SUCH a stressful read and I loved almost every minute of the journey. Drama/thriller/ sort of sci-fi, this is a story that will make you want to turn the lights on. I really enjoyed the way that the story was told in the present but our main character Mattie had flashbacks to her childhood. I think this was a fun way for the story to unfold, rather than two separate timelines. I would truly love to have read this in a mountain cabin  or even in a snowstorm. Definitely an atmospheric read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Child abuse

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Sexual violence