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killmoore_'s review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Deadnaming, Addiction, Outing, Sexism, Cancer, Car accident, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Terminal illness, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, Transphobia, Stalking, Torture, and Violence
keats1787's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Child death, Hate crime, Torture, Racism, Gore, and Alcohol
Moderate: Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking, Medical content, Rape, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Outing
rwgabbard's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Gore, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Cursing, Drug use, Violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Drug abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Grief, and Murder
searobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
On one hand, I loved it in a guilty-pleasure kinda way and couldn't put it down. On the other hand, a lot of the actual plot was rather weak, the twists were obvious a mile out, the similes were excessive, gross, and/or weird (e.g., "his chest was as tight as virgin pussy"), and the characters were two-dimensional at best. It was just really, really, really violent. I have aphantasia, so gore in books doesn't bother me in the same way as in movies/tv shows, but some of the descriptions were just unnecessary - like, way too much detail about someone's guts spilling out like taffy that had had merlot spilled on it or something, for example.
I am queer, but don't have a lot of queerphobic trauma, so that aspect of things wasn't triggering for me, just terribly sad and hard to read, but I can see how it would be really terrible for some.
Idk, it was a weird read. I was so hyped when I finished it; it felt like I had whiplash from the whole thing. However, the more it settles and the more time I have to process it, the more I realise that I think it was more an adrenaline high than a good book.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Sexism, Body horror, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Racism, Car accident, Abandonment, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Outing, Torture, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Stalking, Violence, Transphobia, and Vomit
Minor: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Cancer
midnightgremlin's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Outing, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Torture, and Transphobia
finnmurphy10's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Gore, Torture, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Homophobia, Gun violence, Outing, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, Racism, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Transphobia
katrinarose's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Murder, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Transphobia, Car accident, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Deadnaming, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, and Outing
bookdragon217's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby was writing perfection for me. Cosby's narrative style was propulsive and enthralling. I could not put this one down because once I started, I was simultaneously, vividly visualizing all the action. I felt this book on a visceral level & when it finished I was left deeply emotional from the roller coaster ride.
This was primarily a character study on humanity and the ways that people hurt the ones they love the most due to ignorance and unwillingness to understand and put themselves in the shoes of another person. It was a deep dive into male parenting and the ways that race, religion and masculinity poison relationships with children, especially sons. It was a study on how two men deeply rooted in homophobic beliefs used their pain, grief and regret to attempt to gain redemption and justice while examining themselves and their own motivations. The fact that Ike and Buddy Lee are different races added more layers to work through. It was a constant conversation between the two working through their differences that allowed breakthroughs and growth to happen despite the violent nature of the story.
But this story was also a reckoning. It was reckoning with racism, toxic masculinity, homophobia, religious oppression, male fascination with violence, hate and revenge and redemption that comes at the highest cost. This story reminds us that LGBTQIA people still don't have safe spaces to just exist and to love freely without threat of violence or death. For some, home is the place where they face the most rejection and hate. This story also reminds us that it's never too late to self examine & do the work to undo the indoctrination of the harmful beliefs that are taught to us. It's never too late to advocate for others or to ask for forgiveness. Ignorant & fear based actions have dire consequences but the unlearning should be an active process.
S.A. Cosby has easily become an auto-buy author. This book had my heart racing and left me bawling. Do yourself a favor & read it!
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Outing
narbine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Excrement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racial slurs, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcoholism
Minor: Outing, Hate crime, Infidelity, Deadnaming, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
phippsmr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Homophobia
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Biphobia, Cancer, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Classism, Domestic abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Outing