Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Defekt by Nino Cipri

3 reviews

novella42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

This book was bizarre and beautiful, and I genuinely don't know why I pushed myself through extreme discomfort (body horror is a trigger for my C-PTSD) to finish it. Except that I loved Derek. And Delilah and Darkness. I needed to know what happened to them, but more than that, I think I seriously needed to know how they solved the disaster of being trapped in a haunted capitalist hellscape. Mood, right?

I'm recovering from extreme professional burnout right now, and Derek's unwavering devotion to his job brought up some Feelings™ for me. (I literally coined some marketing phrases involving the "family" of a nonprofit where I once worked. It was toxic AF and I have realized that was one way I coped with inhuman demands, by mentally adjusting myself to survive there.) 

On that leveI, and also as a neurodivergent person with a disability, I resonated strongly with Derek's aching loneliness and desperation to connect with any other humans, even those who treated him like a tool or an outsider. I deeply appreciated the way the author handles the concept of defects, being discordant, being too much, too sensitive, too different. 

This book hits differently than FINNA, I think because Derek's growth starts from his desperate loyalty and love for something that hurts him. To me it reads like Steven Universe in a Stranger Things world. 

Also, speaking as someone with annoyingly sensitive mirror neurons or whatever it is that makes me experience other people's physical pain when I witness it, huge props to Cipri for the way they depicted that phenomenon in the book. One related scene to that, I absolutely had to put the book down and go get a drink. Dear God. I hope for your sake, Cipri, that this was an homage to Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, and not something you struggle with too.

I probably won't be able to read this book again but I am glad I read it and will recommend it to anyone who can handle Stranger Things. Beautiful and weird and wonderful.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Cursing, Grief, Ableism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Islamophobia, Sexual content, Slavery, Transphobia, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Some more detailed spoiler-level content warnings for anyone who needs them. These are not comprehensive, because I think I have already mentally blocked some stuff. (Yay, fun brain tricks!)

high definition description of a broken nose high definition description of a bloody sore throat that uses a strangling effect to evolve into a new body part killing and maiming creatures that began as everyday objects creepy haunted vibes bad enough I needed to read this in the daytime sexual tension between clones

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

4.5

took me a minute to get into it, but once i did i really enjoyed it :). loved the Night at the Museum vibes and the ending was sweet. a definite improvement on Finna.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Cursing, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Minor: Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Confinement, Classism, and Death

pastelkerstin's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

LOVED this! I already really liked Finna but in my opinion Defekt flows better and effectively doubles down on the theme of anti-capitalism. Really good, really queer, a wild fucking time, go read it! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Confinement, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Vomit, and Medical content

Moderate: Transphobia

Minor: Alcohol, Islamophobia, and Sexual content