Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Good House by Tananarive Due

9 reviews

orizenda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I love books that make me cry :,) fr tho I don’t fully understand everything that happens in this book bc I know like nothing abt Vodou  but yeah. very interesting story. I did get kind of mixed up with some of the characters tho in the middle with the townspeople but that’s ok. I really loved the parts from Corey’s perspective personally (which like made me cry even more I love that boy so much). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Racial slurs, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Dementia, Suicide, Grief, and Drug use

There are a few instances of mentions of sexual violence/rape, but it’s only ever actually depicted very briefly in one scene, I think.

awebofstories's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Blood, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug abuse, Animal death, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Murder, Child death, Racism, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Animal death, Misogyny, Car accident, Dementia, Death of parent, Rape, Domestic abuse, Gore, Drug use, Hate crime, Medical content, and Sexism

Minor: Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Excrement, Ableism, Alcohol, Incest, Miscarriage, Slavery, and Vomit

Passing use of F and R slurs.

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Death, Grief, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Rape, Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Racism

Minor: Hate crime, Dementia, Drug use, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Alcohol

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Parts of this story really dragged or they really rushed. The ending was arguably the strongest part of the story and also the most enjoyably paced. Other parts felt like the supernatural element was breaking its own rules. The nastiness can infect anyone who leaves a piece of them in this specific location. But it only infected about five characters including one person who was nowhere near anyone else. That one person got more infected than anybody else and murdered someone tangentially connected to the main characters. Thankfully the dog either did not die or the death was not described, which is a rare mercy in horror fiction. The horses also did not experience any on-page tragedy. There are references to needing chicken blood and paper made from the vagina of an animal. 
There was a dark spot that I didn't appreciate reading. It was where a character faked, and later admitted to doing so, a sexual assault between themselves and an antagonist solely to get one of the main characters to act with violence. I just don't think "fake sexual assault" is a scene that is needed in literature published after the 1990's.
This story is somewhat effective in the 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss' nature of horror stories.

You spend most of the story wondering if the Big Bad got Corey and you find out in chapter 33 that Corey committed suicide to prevent the Big Bad from getting what they wanted. "With all his strength, Corey Toussaint Hill won his last fight.

Two sets of characters have whirlwind relationships that end, of course, tragically. It feels a bit cheap and scripted to do it twice in the story and I am a bit resentful of how one of the relationships is ended. The ending of that relationship is action-packed but very quick

Myles is watching over Angela while she does a ritual and tries to defend her against Tariq. Myles is shot once in the body and finished off with a gunshot to the head, presumably.

It was a cheap way to include a "strip the main character of all hope" moment. 
The last two chapters threw me for a loop at first.

The ending is Angela's ancestors giving her a miracle. It is not stated what the miracle is but the final chapters show Corey, Sean, and Angela breaking the curse and banishing the Big Bad. Then the party on July 4th proceeds as planned, with fireworks, dancing, and merriment. Angela decides that she no longer has feelings for Tariq and will proceed with the divorce. Angela and Myles promise to keep in touch. Therefore the miracle is making it so the violence from the Big Bad never happened.

It is a unique way to wrap up a story and one that can often feel very cheap. With this specific story it felt welcome. It almost felt like walking into your childhood home, but the one of your memories and not the actual building. These last two chapters were the most effective for me as a reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Gun violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Car accident, Animal death, Sexual content, Drug use, Infidelity, and Bullying

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

5.0

I cannot overstate how wonderful this book is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Hate crime, Death, Child death, Bullying, Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Sexual content, Racism, Torture, Racial slurs, Suicide, Cursing, Gore, Animal death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Fatphobia, Rape, Car accident, Alcohol, Vomit, Dementia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Drug use

Minor: Slavery, Colonisation, and Police brutality

Incarceration

kengiedamali's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Murder

Minor: Pedophilia and Racial slurs

rorikae's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

'The Good House' by Tananarive Due is a haunting family saga that follows the Toussaint family's home and all of the mysterious and horrific events tied to it. 
The Good House is well known in its town. Angela Toussaint's grandmother owned the house and it received its nickname under her care. But when a tragedy that upends Angela's life takes place in the house, things begin to change. There are strange happenings around the town and not everyone is acting normally. 
Due has created a haunting tale that pairs family saga with the horrors of a haunting that crosses generations. After an initial spot of violence, the story takes on a subtly haunting tone as ominous events unravel and we come to learn more about the Good House and the Toussaint family. Each of the characters is so fully fleshed out that they jump off the page. They are all incredibly flawed but their humanness also makes them easy to care for. The added element of the story winding through different family members perspectives over different years, stiches the story together in a really satisfying way. 
So much happens across this book and there is practically every content warning that you can imagine. I've been excited to read this book for a while and it lived up to and exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to read more of Due's work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence

carli_likes_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Child death

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Drug use