Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

162 reviews

alaskanlad's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.5

I almost quit reading this book multiple times but it was an easy enough read that it felt worth it to follow through and find out how everything plays out. This was a mistake. It was absolutely not worth it. The writing is needlessly repetitive and the plot drags on and on and on then scurries forward in great lurches that are hard to follow. The main character Jade, though sympathetic, is not likable or particularly interesting (we get it, you love slashers, you are a horror chick, ok ok) and the minor characters aren’t developed enough to make you feel strongly either way. The climax was…disappointing to say the least. Perhaps would have been slightly less so if it only took 200 pages to get there rather than 400. Do not recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Violence, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Incest, and Sexual assault

uhhlexiconic's review

challenging dark emotional slow-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

3.75

Very knowledgeable about slashers but missing some of their spirit, My Heart is a Chainsaw makes sure we know our protagonist before showing us what she's really made of. Slow to start and with a narration style that may take some getting used to, but the third act bloodbath is worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Death, Racism, Animal death, Vomit, and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark funny 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Incest, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Minor: Vomit, Racism, Rape, and Pedophilia

emory's review

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Gore, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism and Vomit

tesshersh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I’m not sure if I extra enjoyed this book because I’ve read so many BAD books lately, or if it really IS that good, so take this with a grain of salt. But WOW. One of my only gripes is that it touches on some themes that I’m not 100% sure I love being talked abt from a teenage girl’s perspective written by a male author, but I think it was respectfully done. 
Spoiler for my other complaint:

I wish that the conclusion/reveal of the killer DIDN’T have a supernatural element. I think the author’s point of regarding real life not being like a horror/slasher movie, about things like gentrification & colonization being a type of horror and violence of their own, was backtracked a bit by letting jade’s theory of a supernatural element be true at the end.

Also: cannot recommend the audio book enough, cara gee was amazing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Abortion, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Suicide, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Child death, Incest, and Gore

HUGE trigger warnings - not just in the gore/violence you would associate with a thriller but for other content as well, please check content warnings before reading

heckyeaheather's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

This was a great listen if you're someone who enjoys the horror genre and that your MC also is an expert in the slasher/horror genre. 
It can be a bit slow going sometimes, spending some time in our main characters thoughts and getting a bit wordy. Great first book of 2024!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

lancemama's review

challenging dark emotional funny 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Bullying, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Rape, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death

davidvd's review

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Child abuse, Violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Colonisation and Death of parent

creativeerosion's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Animal death, Vomit, Blood, Child death, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Racism, and Body shaming

antimony's review

dark emotional mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 starting 2024 with my resolution to rate books more accurately to my system as outlined in my profile and not sticking to 4 stars as a neutral just bc i feel bad abt rating 3 or lower. i thought this book was ok. i really liked stephen graham jones's story tiddlywinks in other terrors so even though i didnt care much for mongrels i checked this out from the library. and i didn't get along with the writing style and i kind of couldnt stand jade for half the book. like she did end up being right in the end but i don't blame everyone else for thinking she was delusional and convinced there was a slasher just bc the pattern fit. 
maybe this is a case of don't read a book that's a love letter to a genre you don't care for. because i'm not really a slasher guy. i prefer a quieter horror that leans more towards the unsettling than the gory. i do think this book is really good if you like slashers probably. but i kinda didn't care for a good most of it. the third-to-last and second-to-last chapters were really good though!! once i finally got ahold on the characters and story and also things started happening (because the beginning is SUCHHH a slow burn) i did enjoy myself ! but it took soo long for that payoff to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Animal death, Violence, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault