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mollylhartles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Read with caution
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
vixenreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Vomit, and Stalking
Be aware that there is characters slowly dying, hunger, starvation, c-sections, blood clots, mob violence, financial struggles, mentions of Nazism, and destruction of cities and families.spookyweirdo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and War
bxnnny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence and Vomit
Minor: Incest
the first short story is very heavily involved with fecal matter. all stories deal with dark subject matter. there is lots of death, abuse, and animal cruelty.akj_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Story Ratings:
1. "The Head" 5/5 stars⭐️
2. "The Embodiment" 5/5 stars⭐️
3. "Cursed Bunny" 5/5 stars⭐️
4. "The Frozen Finger" 3/5 stars⭐️
5. "Snare" 4/5 stars⭐️
6. "Goodbye, My Love" 4/5 stars⭐️
7. "Scars" 5/5 stars⭐️
8. "Home Sweet Home" 5/5 stars⭐️
9. "Ruler of the Winds and Sands" 5/5 stars⭐️
10. "Reunion" 5/5 stars⭐️
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
olliepopop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Incest
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
The different stories all adress and discuss trauma each in their own way and metaphors and within their genre, it was a really good read. I also appreciate, that in "Reunion" the narrator actually mentions trauma and what it does/can do to people. I don't see this direct mention a lot in horror stories, and it was a nice surprise while fitting into that story well. It also was a nice conclusion to the book, summarising the theme of this book at the end.
My favourite stories of this collection are "The Frozen Finger" for it's pure horror vibes that unfold throught the story, and "Scars" for main character and the growth he goes through.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Incest, Dementia, Car accident, and Death of parent
kaimju's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Excrement
Minor: Car accident
emk5's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Incest
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pros:
- they're definitely gripping, and the writing style is sparse but clear and evocative, with the descriptions being vivid.
- the stories felt self contained and satisfying overall, even as many ended in tragedy.
- the last book of short stories I read, i struggled to jump from one story to another, maybe because they were so different and by different people. this one wasnt like that at all, and i had no problem reading straight through, pretty much.
- i liked the variety in length and themes of the stories, from birth horror, to supernatural, to fantasy fairy tale and modern criticisms on feminism and capitalism. i think i mainly read very on the surface and didnt look hard at metaphors and such, a reread might help me see this more.
- I liked the sheer imagination though and how Chung makes you care for characters who often arent even given a name.
cons:
- the first two stories especially, but a lot of them overall, were pretty horrible and graphic. they did their job in making you feel things! but it reminded me too much of just horrible nightmares and intrusive thoughts and I wouldnt read those two again.
- I also felt there was generally a lack of hope in the stories, but that's personal taste I guess.
overall, well written and gripping but too horror for me and dont think I'll seek out more of her work, but I might reread this in time.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment