Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

35 reviews

foolzerrand's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

The twists! The turns! The interesting literary analysis of what themes and motifs mean in slashers! Absolute banger baby!
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bedtimesandbooks's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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folkmare's review

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

I can really appreciate this book for what it is, but once again, Stephen Graham Jones's writing is a little too introspective and dreamlike for me. I gravitate to a more literal, concrete storytelling style and because of this I kept getting confused about movement and logistics, especially in the beginning. That said, I did like this a lot better than The Only Good Indians. 
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naturemamareads's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

🔪 BOOK REVIEW 🔪

MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by Stephen Graham Jones

I absolutely fell into this world. I was so absorbed and terrified. To say I finished this book dizzy is an understatement. This is a book hangover on all levels.

Jade is an outsider in her town of well to do yt folx. Surrounded by well meaning teachers and a sherif who thinks she some  poor neglected teen with a dark past, but she’s just really into slasher movies. At least that’s what she tells everyone. I so deeply related to Jade on every level. When I was 17 I was also considered a trouble maker who just “had a lot going on at home”. Jade starts to see happenings around her small town that point to the beginnings of a slasher! Is it real? Or is it all in her head? And who is behind it all? Can she really trust anyone? And why doesn’t anyone believe her?!

Read this if you like:
🔪 Emo girls with soft hearts
🔪 70s and 80s slasher movies
🔪 All the slasher trivia
🔪 Bisexual rep
🔪 Biracial rep
🔪 Twisty plots that you can’t keep up with
🔪 Gore & more gore
🔪 You know everyone is eventually gonna die
🔪 Slow build ups
🔪 Lots of backstory for each person of interest

I’ll definitely be thinking of this one every October! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

#MyHeartIsAChainsaw #StephenGrahamJones
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lilifane's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

I have so many thoughts, but they are as chaotic as the last chapters of the book, so yeah....
The very first chapter was really interesting and creepy. It set up the story so well and got me hooked from the beginning... but with the second chapter the plot slowed down A LOT. And I mean it almost froze for probably 60% of the book. 
I had problems getting into the writing style and the protagonist, Jade, at first. I didn't like her, I thought she was annoying, and I didn't get her actions at all. Until something clicked. I started to understand the writing AND Jade, up to the point where I ended up loving both with all my heart. She is such a fascinating character and I couldn't stop reading even when nothing was happening. 

I also loved the setting, the small-town vibes are on point. The lake is beautiful but also creepy, the town history is super interesting. And I like how we had to piece the stories and hints together to get a full picture of the place. Absolutely adored some of the character dynamics, especially between the sheriff, Jade and Mr. Holmes. At the same time, Jade was such an unreliable narrator that I was constantly questioning if it was all just in her head or if there really was something sinister going on, and I basically became paranoid about every character, including Jade herself. Loved that! 

When it comes to the ending and conclusion, I would have hated it in a movie. But in this book it kind of worked for me. I think it was very fitting, and I really liked it a lot. 

The only reason, I'm not giving this 5 stars are the slasher references. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy slashers, I grew up with them. However, the ones from the 90s/early 2000s. This book references a ton of slasher movies from the 80s, though, and even older ones. And although I liked the idea and some parts of the Slasher 101 I had a hard time enjoying it when I didn't get 80% of the references. I bet they are amazing (because the ones that refer to the movies I've actually seen ARE great) but it was frustrating to read about movies and characters you don't know and honestly don't really want to know in depth. I got the idea and what it did to the story, but I wasn't a fan of the execution. Sadly.

But I can't wait to read more by the author. 
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