Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

70 reviews

shieldbearer's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

 

“The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires” is about how a small-town white community reacts when faced with a threat from the outside. How much can one sacrifice for safety and prosperity and who pays for those sacrifices? Who- and what- is worth protecting? How culpable is the one who watches and does nothing? 

This is a book that features deeply human, but nuanced, female characters. The female characters have rich inner lives and personalities even when operating within the social norms of their small Southern town.  This is an nuanced, layered exploration of womanhood- particularly how white womanhood is affected by white privilege. People dismissing the characters as "doormats" have clearly ignored the parts of the book that scream that they are choosing prosperity and security over the lives of Black children, which is easily one of the most realistic parts of the book.   The author is a man, but his mother inspired him to write this book, and it truly shows. I wish more female characters were written with this flawed complexity. I also really felt the author did a good job building and releasing tension. 

Also. Y'all need to get better at adding tags. We get graphic second hand accounts of both sexual assault and racism (a man was literally LYNCHED) and half of y'all only tag the sexual assault?? I think that proves my point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Murder, Suicide, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Stalking, Child abuse, Classism, Violence, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pedophilia

Minor: Alcoholism and Animal death

boundforinfinity's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

A brilliant tale that kept me gripped for 2 hours. Southern mum's book club comes to terms with the horror in their neighbourhood, reading crime fiction about Ted bundy and Charles manson, Patricia and friends try to save their children and their souls from the dark and mysterious neighbour, James Harris. Well worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Murder, Drug abuse, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Gore, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child death, Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Drug use

frogknitting's review against another edition

This was horrible horrible horrible horrible. It was explicitly racist, with a white savior arc, and it was fairly misogynistic as well. Also, it demonized mental health treatment. But the reason that I had to quit was because of the terrible scene with Slick near the end of the book. I couldn't do it anymore. It was so so so gross too, and I felt like the author was just going to keep using this as a gross out factor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Rape, Body horror, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Racism, Sexism, Animal cruelty, and Gore

harperhoney's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

sambashua's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

ripxw's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Pedophilia

Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Dementia, Terminal illness, Animal death, Classism, and Toxic friendship

libby_c's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Blood, Death, Violence, Racism, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Rape

Moderate: Ableism, Suicide attempt, and Infidelity

Minor: Forced institutionalization

jackiepreston's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

marlenealina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Medical trauma

snowforest's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Xenophobia