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Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Cadáver exquisito by Agustina Bazterrica

1629 reviews

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I didn't love this book, it was good but it didn't live up to the hype. technically, it was hard to read especially for its very slow pace although it picks up in the second half. the world building was actually pretty neat but I would've liked some deeper exploration of it. the ending was a very "aha!" moment for me and that made it worth it. morally, it was quite interesting. there was no descent into madness which I appreciate and adds a layer of complexity to it. I think it does a great job in raising questions about the human nature and mirrors the selfish and opportunistic behavior our kind has shown historically. kudos to the author for not being scared of pushing the limits of the conventionally acceptable.

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark sad 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: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I initially wanted to read this book because I study ethics and politics, and I’m interested in getting more into animal ethics as a subcategory in my studies. Likewise I feel as though I have some strange literary fascination or inclination to book about cannibalism because as a theme it’s always used to evoke allusions to power imbalances, domination, subjugation, and the immoral. 
All that having been said, nothing I’ve read before could have quite prepared me for this book. It’s gruesome and unforgiving. It shines a light into the gnarly pointed teeth of humanity and invites the reader to be appalled not only by the actions of characters but by the mirrored image of their own actions being thrown back at them. All the characters are irredeemable in the best way. Even Marcos is truly vile to his very core—not nearly to vile as his sister, his vendors, or his clients, but nevertheless despicable. If the book as a whole is a nauseating descent into the darkness of the human psyche, then the last chapter is like the final push that lands you on your face, breaking your nose and any inclination towards hope you may have had. 
I’m not sure I’ll ever reread this book, but I am glad to have read it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Wow, this was not well written at all. The plot jumped around, there were tons of things that were completely improbable. The dialogue was fanfiction level writing. Just not good. Why is this book so highly recommended?

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