Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Where I End by Sophie White

12 reviews

asuresh's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Incest, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Rape, Abandonment, Death, Body horror, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Mental illness, Stalking, Torture, and Violence

aurora93's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Mental illness, Torture, Body horror, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual assault

Pretty detailed descriptions of murdering and torturing infants. Description of infanticide. Descriptions of severe postpartum psychosis.

sylvestra's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, and Body horror

blurjay's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a brutal and cruel story of love, motherhood, and belonging, but oh so mesmerizing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Self harm, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, and Rape

rosebache's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Stalking

Moderate: Rape

mementowori's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Jesus fucking Christ.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Body horror, and Bullying

flowingleaves's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Jesus fucking christ. Mind the warnings. This book is cruel and it goes places I didn't want it to go. I'm not quite sure if Aoileann is just that much of an unreliable narrator or if every single person in this story apart from Rachel are all just that horrible.

Fantastic story, I loved it, it made me want to throw up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Stalking, Body horror, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Child death, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Excrement, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

whirl's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Dark, gruesome and extremely sad 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, Death, Confinement, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit

thebristolreader's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Body horror, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

wordsofclover's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Aoileann is a solitary figure - ignored and shunned by the other inhabitants of the Irish island she lives on, she spends her days in a dark, lonely house with her grandmother - the two of them looking after the 'bed thing' that is Aoileann's mother. When a young mother arrives to the island, Aoileann develops a scary obsession with the woman and a growing resentment towards the child.

This book is fantastic in creepy setting and horrific situations, that are desperately sad and brutal all at the same time. The isolated island life, especially experienced through someone even further ostracised, was done so well and there were times I didn't know whether to hate the islanders for their ways or pity them.

Aoileann was honestly a scary character - she had been through so much, clearly she was deficient on the social front and had no idea how to interact with others or form normal attachment, and then she also had been the victim of assault from the island men. And then to live in a house that is more or less a prison on top of all of that. It's no wonder the beauty, simplicity and charm of Rachel obsessed her to the point of dangerous behaviour.

I do think this book may be a hard read for people who are family carers, and therefore I wouldn't recommend it to these people. There are some moments in this that made me so uncomfortable due to the way Aoileann and her grandmother treated her mother - they kept her as comfortable as possible, and cared for her in the way they knew how but there were moments that made you truly wonder if she was trapped in a terrible silent prison of her own self. And as Aoileann's obsession deepens, her behaviour towards her mother becomes more resentful and cruel.

I can't say I loved this novel as there were times I felt I had to look away due to those uncomfortable moments and the creepy feeling while reading the book as Aoileann became further out of reach from normality. But in terms of atmosphere it was top notch and for people who like literary horror, books with chilling senstions, this could be perfect. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

Moderate: Body horror