Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

39 reviews

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: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder

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: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

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

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

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: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

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: Child abuse and Violence

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Sexual violence

tartar94's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

jerusha's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy

cryptidkay's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

 SO SCARY! I loved it so much!

I was a little worried about handling the abusive relationship aspects of this book. I really should have been worried about the author's ability to put two monsters in the same book and for me to care about the creature-y one.

I loved the old-school creature feature feel of some of the horror and was shocked by the more modern slasher/thriller style horror the framing narrative incorporated.

I loved it loved it loved it. All the more reason to never go into the woods 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

Um... there's a lot of graphic stuff in this book. Like so much.

bastieboi's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror and Bullying

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Grief, and Death of parent

inkster95's review against another edition

dark tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Gaslighting