Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

4 reviews

poereads's review

Go to review page

mysterious 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? No

2.0

Ugh. Too much horror and not enough thriller. This felt like it moved way too slow. There were 2 murderers at the 30% mark but I was so bored. The plot didn’t seem to progress too much until the last 30%. There were so many loose ends never explained. This also just felt too exploratory about violence towards women? The whole plot hinged on women being raped. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

minimicropup's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked most of this, even when I was angry at certain characters. It was engaging, thought-provoking, weird, and atmospheric. But the end felt incomplete or tacked on. 
 
Energy: Hostile. Evasive. Cautious.
 
🐕 Howls Sudden switch from slow-burn weird horror to popcorn thriller (convenient rush of villains, chaotic bursts of violence). The story introduced a lot of mysterious sub-plots and angles, then lost or cut them off abruptly at the end (I have so many unanswered questions). Reiterating the commentary on misogyny and narcissism instead of progressing the story.
 
🐩 Tail Wags The art installation descriptions and insights into the art-making process. The slow, steady pace allowed for gradual character development.Showing how women have historically been labeled irrational, spoiled, or mentally unstable for expressing simple boundaries. How it didn’t shy away from exposing how some women are complicit in perpetuating those injustices. Balanced view of abuse and sociopathy transcending gender. Unsettling ending. The justice moments (the plot made me mad, but not in a frustrating way).   
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Tranquil Falls Artists’ Retreat in Georgia, USA.
Perspective: A potter who hasn’t made art in the last five years while in a toxic relationship finally gets out and is accepted to an artist’s retreat. While there strange things start happening, including dreams where they are a guest at the abandoned resort on site. 
Timeline: Current (2020s). 🍂 Beginning of fall.
🔥 Fuel: Cliffhangers. Group dynamics. Atmosphere. Why are the artists suddenly acting strangely? What really happened between the retreat leaders and an especially misogynist artist? What’s with the second floor of the cabin our MC is staying in? Why was the resort hotel suddenly abandoned? 
📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief with a touch of paranormal 
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Oak must. Yeast cinnamon and apple. Distant roar of a waterfall. Lavender potpourri. Stained glass windchimes. Mildew. Rot. Cold stone. Antiseptic. 
  • Glimpse of 1800s pseudoscience health resort
  • Books to read in the forest, fall vibes
  • Escaping a toxic relationship, starting anew romantic energy
  • Cast of eccentric artists
  • Exploring secret areas off-limits
  • How did they die? Mysteries
  • Visions, nightmares, out of body experiences
  • Third person whispering context to us as we watch scenes unfold, getting to know everyone alongside the main character
  • Chaos and strangeness
  • Irony and ghostly revenge
 
Content Heads-Up: Alcohol abuse, alcoholic parent. Narcissistic parent, no contact. Animal death (brief on page; possum, snake, rabbits). Vomit. Corpse/skeleton (discovery of). Toxic, narcissistic colleagues. Bullying (vandalism, theft, threats). Confinement (implied, evidence of and on page). Misogyny. Ageism (towards younger gen). Sexual assault, rape (within relationship; descriptive recall on page). Medical (injuries, heart attack, bleeding). Drugging. Forced institutionalization (medical asylum). Personality disorders, psychopathy. 
 
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Dark brown, pale, and ambiguous skin tones.
 
📚 Format: Library Hardcover
 
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lv_'s review

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book kept me turning the page but I was ultimately pretty disappointed with the ending. No follow through on what became of other characters and I think
Kyle appearing right at the end was just…unnecessary
. I think the premise was good and I still enjoyed it but it came up lacking. 

Another thing, there were a lot of words in the book used that felt like the author just pulled them out of a thesaurus. Took me out of the story every time. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nicekweenreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

While I can certainly see how this can be a decisive book, I absolutely loved it. 

Pros:
I really liked and related to Sarah, the main character. She is a women who just cut off ties with her manipulative mother and just left an emotionally abusive relationship. Accepted to an artist colony, Sarah is excited to find who is without her ex. However, strange events start occurring the moment she accidentally digs up a woman when trying to dig an area for a kiln. From there she is mysteriously connected to the dead woman, receiving flashbacks to her life, and the horrors that await at the property.

Most of the characters felt real and multidimensional. I could relate to a lot of them in many ways (except the artistic talent). 

I also really liked the feminist perspective this book was written from. It's very refreshing in the horror genre and sadly relatable. 

Another relatable relationship was the "romantic interest".
A lot of books have some hunky, magical man to come in and save the heroine's heart, this isn't it. I love they didn't get together. Right person, wrong time.


Though I'm not normally a fan of historical horror, I thought it was done well.
The historical truth of how easily women were given to asylums added an extra layer of eeriness. The ties between Emily and Sarah served as a great, yet heart breaking parallel. I do wish Emily has a better redemption though.


Cons:
I felt the pacing was a little slow in beginning. We spend a long time with characters that don't really matter much. 

I am positive the nails were supposed to have some bigger conenction but I didn't get it. It was really clear what those who held them besides being randonly possessed.


I also felt the ending was also little rushed and odd, especially when compared to how long the beginning of the book was.
The ex boyfriend showing up at the end in the hotel was so odd. Especially since there was no expalnation if he and Gale were working together.


Expand filter menu Content Warnings