Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

196 reviews

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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

2.0

I have yet to find a short story collection that can make me go 'wow'. Because this was not it.

It had everything I want in a short story collection. It was directed to people who tend to result to pain, to fear, to anxiety.  But I found this book...lacking? I don't know, I only liked maybe three stories and that's about it. My favorite is absolutely Rambla Triste. If the rest of the collection was written like that, then maybe I would have rated this higher.

Also, the last story has the t slur. I have not seen anyone mention it, which is weird...

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ellewhyoh's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-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

4.0

I sometimes have a problem giving short story collections a fair shake, because I feel like ambiguous endings and unanswered questions are an inherent component of the genre, and that kind of drives me crazy.

That being said, this collection was very intriguing, and the unanswered questions drove me less crazy than usual. This book delved into a lot of different types of horror and the supernatural, but a strong theme amongst most of them was memory and disappearance. When is something lost? Is loss best understood as an action, or as a noun? Is it wrong or right to let the shadows take their toll? 

Overall this collection was very intriguing, and it will leave me thinking.

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sara_n's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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boquitap4sion's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Por alguna razón esperaba que me gustara más, pero aún así me pareció muy bueno y de un terror muy grotesco, inquietante y psicológico. Algunas historias eran realmente brillantes y quedé emocionada por leer el otro libro de Mariana Enríquez que tengo.

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meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.5


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biobeetle's review against another edition

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

4.0


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funkyauntjules's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

super gorgeous prose, lots of ghosts and gore (dope), lots of poop (not as dope)!

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booktribe's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

📚 Angelita Unearthed: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Our Lady of the Quarry: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
📚 The Cart: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 The Well:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 
📚 Rambla Triste: DNF
📚 The Lookout: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: sexual assault, self harm, suicide attempt)
📚 Where Are You, Dear Heart?: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
📚 Meat: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
📚 No Birthdays or Baptisms: DNF (TW: pedophilia)
📚 Kids Who Come Back: DNF (TW: transphobic slurs)
📚 The Dangers of Smoking in Bed: ⭐️⭐️ (what is up with this book and its obsession with masturbation??😭😂)
📚 Back When We Talked to the Dead: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average rating: 2.8 stars
Official rating: 3.5 stars 

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isitamonito's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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eli99's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book had some good stories and some they weren't worth it. It's the type of crazy horror that I love. Boardering on reality. I love reading books like this that have been translated to English because you can tell a bit of the cultural difference as well. Horror and ghost stories are so different between cultures. 

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