Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - Кость от костей

Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Кость от костей by Christina Henry

54 reviews

theknitterwithabook's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Wow!

The beginning, with all the domestic abuse and religious bigotry, was very rough to go through. But then you see hope and it keeps you going.

The book is full of twists and turns. Up until the end, you get no rest. It keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way.

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norsletters's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

1.5

This book, although having some beautiful description, was extremely disappointing. The characters are cardboard cutouts that don’t evoke any sort of attachment. The main character, of course, I did feel some sort of guilt and pity for her, but generally she wasn’t a likeable character. The only character I felt some sort of connection to was killed off. The plot is extremely pedestrian and almost predictable but not in a satisfactory sort of way. It’s really sad because I had so much excitement for this story but overall it was just disappointing. It was as if the author was trying to throw as many triggering scenes into the text as possible. I’m not necessarily affected by triggering content, if they add to the story, but this was just poorly written. Although it was a key element of the story, it just wasn’t delivered in a way that redeemed the story.

Don’t get me wrong. The author definitely can write, and has a beautiful writing style, but this story was just . . . disappointing.

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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.5

Mattie lives in a cabin on a mountain with her abusive husband, William. She isn't allowed to wander far from their home, & she has never seen anyone else for as long as she can remember, but when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox, she realizes that they're not alone after all. Something strange is in the woods, a natural predator, so William wants to get rid of it as he fears it will bring more people up the mountain to hunt it.

This starts off quite slowly, but gradually builds to where a small group of people are fleeing for their lives from whatever is killing everything around it & leaving their corpses strung from trees. This part of the book is gripping, especially as Mattie starts to remember her life before William. Talking of William, never have I wanted a character to meet a sticky end as much as I wanted him to. I have rated this 3.5 stars as it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, but it was a decent read.

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howlinglibraries's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Every time I think I can't possibly love Christina Henry even more, she releases another book that blows me away and proves me wrong. Near the Bone is quite possibly my favorite thing I've read from her so far, and I can easily see it landing in my favorite books of the year list. This book was shocking, captivating, and utterly unputdownable — literally, I wasn't even willing to take a break for dinner until I finished it, and ended up inhaling the entire book in one sitting because I was so drawn in that I had to know what would happen next right this moment.

Near the Bone is a tough read at its core, as it follows Mattie, a woman who is trapped in a brutal marriage that is abusive in every possible sense of the word. Christina Henry doesn't shy away from showing the ugly details, but it never feels overly gratuitous, either (and the sexual abuse is off-page, which many readers like myself will undoubtedly appreciate).Mattie is beaten down, but not broken, and her spirit is incredibly brave beneath the veneer of timidity she displays to keep herself safe. I loved Mattie so much and I think that's a big part of why Near the Bone held me captive so well: I needed Mattie to make it, and I couldn't look away until her fate played out.

This is a monster story, sure — there's a fantastic, eerie creature that stalks the residents and animals of the secluded mountain Mattie lives on — but I would caution readers not to go into this story expecting a full-blown creature feature. At its core, Near the Bone strikes me more as a commentary on abuse than anything else: the world abuse survivors live in, the ways that abuse can create a fear and trauma that stalks their daily life, and the reactions on-lookers have, whether it's victim-blaming, or undying love and support.

I have more I want to say, but all of it is spoiler-y, so click the tag at your own risk:

I was fascinated by the monster's refusal to attack Mattie herself, and quickly theorized that perhaps the monster had been seeing the abuse as it happened and was attempting to protect her in its own way. We learned at the end that the monster was simply a parent protecting its young, and with Mattie being barely an adult herself, I still think, just maybe, that the "monster" was Mattie's greatest ally in the end. Even when it took her companions, it seemed to specifically target whoever might be standing between Mattie and her freedom at any given time, and that feels significant to me.

Back to the point, though: truly, I adored every single page of this heart-wrenching, suspenseful read. With a heroine I cheered for every step of the way, a villain I loathed with every fiber of my being, and a beautiful, intense wintry scenery that gave me chills despite the warmth and safety of my home, Christina Henry absolutely blew away every (already high) expectation I had and made Near the Bone a powerful and memorable story that I already can't wait to re-visit.

✨ Representation: a side character is Asian (briefly mentioned)

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