Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

18 reviews

gna_again's review against another edition

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

3.0


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nefarious_rat's review against another edition

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

3.75

collection of short stories so character progression and such is difficult, but within each story the characters were distinct and never felt rushed, some of the stories were not to my taste but still very well written, favourites are, our lady of the quarry, the well, the lookout (particularly the characterisation of elina), where are you dear heart (grotesque and delicious my absolute favourite i keep re-reading it), and meat (a very close second favourite for the exact same reasons)

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roskoff's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

A compelling albeit stomach-turning compilation of short horror stories. Very unique; the monsters and monstrous circumstances weren’t anything I’d ever read before. Reoccurring themes included life after death, bad neighborhoods, violent and compulsive masturbation, curses, and incredibly antisocial behavior. A good read.

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not_another_ana's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

3.0

Los dos sabíamos cuál podía ser el final, y no nos importaba.

Colección de cuentos cortos de horror que tocan varias temáticas como lo grotesco, lo sexual y la obsesión. Ya había leído Las Cosas Que Perdimos en el Fuego, de la misma escritora, y por ende esta antología no me parece tan bien trabajada. Se nota que esta colección es ya de hace muchos años y que estamos ante una Mariana Enríquez que todavía no tiene la peripecia de la actual. Tampoco me parecieron aterradores, creo que porque en general tratan de un terror relacionado más a lo sexual y el gore lo cual me aburre.

Son doce cuentos:
-El desentierro de la angelita: una joven es asediada por el espíritu de una niña, 3/5
-La Virgen de la tosquera: un grupo de amigos nadan en una tosquera con fatales consequencias, 3/5
-El carrito: el ataque a un mendigo por una comunidad desencadena una ola de sufrimiento en la vecindad, 4,5/5
-El aljibe: en búsqueda de una cura para su terrible ansiedad la protagonista descubre un secreto de su infancia, 3/5
-Rambla triste: una turista ve el lado oscuro de Barcelona, 2/5
-El mirador: un espíritu solitario fija su interés en una mujer que se encuentra sufriendo, 2,5/5
-Dónde estás corazón: la protagonista desarrolla un fetiche por los sonidos del corazón y lo lleva a límites extremos, 3/5
-Carne: la muerte de un famoso cantante causa estragos a sus fans y las lleva a cometer actos grotescos, 5/5
-Ni cumpleaños ni bautismos: un joven es contratado para grabar a una chica que afirma estar poseída, 2/5
-Chicos que faltan: de la nada todos los niños desaparecidos en la ciudad aparecen, incluso los que estaban muertos, 5/5
-Los peligros de fumar en la cama: una mujer muere en un incendio causado por un cigarrillo, el título del libro y el que menos me gustó, 1/5
-Cuando hablábamos con los muertos: un grupo de amigas usan la ouija para contactar espíritus y la situación se les va de las manos, 5/5

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lynxpardinus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious

4.5


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brigg_sy's review against another edition

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

4.5

Horrible, vile, disgusting, and weird. An incredible selection of short stories that are so well-written, and enjoyable.

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krhe's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

El relato de los problemas de corazón... Esto no lo voy a olvidar en mi puta vida. 

ALSO LO DE LOS CRÍOS REAPARECIDOS WTF

Trigger warnings: todos 

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ava_lanche's review against another edition

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

4.0

Twelve eerie stories that thrive in the mysteries they create! These mysteries are not meant to be solved, only experienced through the eyes of different Argentine women whose voices have been quieted, either by shame and insanity or by the ever-present fear of it.

Hailing from impoverished slums, trafficked children haunt the streets; raped and murdered girls reappear in silence; mothers curse their daughters; girls are possessed and scarred yet no one believes them. Crushed rib cages and torn entrails – anatomical obsessions turn bloody. Here, what is not said is the most powerful.

As with most collections of stories, some pieces are stronger than others. Many of these stories feel a little... unfinished. Some endings are unsatisfactory, which is such a shame, as most of the premises are unusually creative and thought-provoking.

However, "The Well", "Where Are You, Dear Heart?" and "Rambla Triste" were definite highlights. I also liked "The Cart" and "The Kids Who Come Back".

The stories work well together, and create a Buenos Aires that is filled with danger – physical, mental and paranormal. The poisons of the city has taken on a ghostly shape, and the repercussions are felt mostly by the women, whether it's their bodies or their minds that are marked by violence, and whether the sins are committed by people or by ghosts.

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elenamiles's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-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? It's complicated

5.0


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mayze's review against another edition

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

4.0

A collection of short stories, all well written, some of course better than others. I just wished the meaning behind was a bit more obvious

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