Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

58 reviews

trippalli's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective 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

4.0

A good solid monsters story, feminist and yet also gruesome

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mr_cain's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Good plot, but the gratuitous rape and violence was not for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Dementia, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

aardwyrm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Like having your teeth pulled out by barbed wire, but they're really polite about it. There is a very scary vampire, but, you know how all good horror is about the unnatural threat AND the real ones? There's more dread in a cocktail party with friendly acquaintances than in most of the scenes with, you know, vampirism. The book juggles its time and place, both as a setting dripping with dread and with a comfortable, sympathetic gentleness that never actually lets anybody off the hook (though Mrs. Green is really much too forgiving in the last act). Does a really interesting job with being horribly physical about the most mundane and most otherworldly manifestations of gore alike. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

I liked this book, but it's billed as more horror comedy, and I do want to be clear, the horrible parts are gonna hit.

lesbegays's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.75

for the first few chapters i almost forgot this was a horror novel because i was so invested in these housewives’ drama. but then things got dark FAST. i don’t think i’ve ever been angrier at a fictional character than i was at the husbands in this book. if i could have skinned them all alive i would have. i HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. 
side note: it is so nice reading a book set in south carolina????? like, i know the towns they’re talking about! they shop at bi-lo!!! the bit about the whole town being busy watching the clemson v. carolina game!!!!! is this what people who live in states that are more frequently featured in fiction feel like all the time??? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity

reb_curt's review against another edition

Characters clearly written by someone who doesn't understand women. That and  

I couldn't take the out of nowhere child obsession with Nazis and White Supremacy groups and flashbacks of lynchings..just couldn't do it.

First DNF in a few years. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

parasolcrafter's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

1.75

fuck you and fuck this book actually 😒

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

ilsota_77'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

evangelinereading's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

jackiepreston's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

vi__'s review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

This was a very interesting book, with a fantastic synopsis. I think the idea of polar opposites is really fascinating. My only regret is that it has too many plots that have to do with the main character. If I had written this  book I would have focused on creating the book club and showing the contrast with the vampire. BUt overall it was fine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture