Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

22 reviews

minkler's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-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

1.75


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ka_cam's review against another edition

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

4.5

A ghosty revenge tale with history, local spirits, and the rage and ennui of young women and girls? Yes please. I enjoyed piecing together what was going on and felt the characters, times, and supernatural elements were deftly woven together. I found it well written and emotionally engaging. Only drawback was due to the number of characters I felt the character development could have been stronger. All in all a great read (do mind the content warnings though).

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katewhite77's review against another edition

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

3.0

Creepy but gripping. 

I don't usually do horror but this is more creepy than horrific and has enough of a realist plot to grab non horror fans. I couldn't stop reading. 

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alayamorning's review

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

3.75


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ericageorge91's review against another edition

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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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was a slow burn love. I was invested from the beginning because I needed to know what happened to the missing girls/women but it also felt like a puzzle?? There are multiple POV and time jumps but each character’s perspective would reference previous characters provide further insight to their  background. I found myself looking forward to discovering these little nuggets and callbacks. 

The horror in this story would slowly creep in the best way possible. Several scenes had me shivering. Please read this book!! 🤗

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adam_nie's review against another edition

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

4.25

Dramatic irony! Crossed paths! I'm too squeamish for capital h Horror, but Kupersmith handles upsetting material well.

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hecatereads_'s review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

2.25

Descriptions of animal cruelty too triggering for me

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writingcaia's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What a trip this book was!
Using family trees and native Vietnamese myths and folklore, the author tells the story of several characters to encompass such a large part of Vietnam’s most recent history (going back more than 50 years), and it all starts with the disappearance of a Vietnamese American young woman with severe mental issues by the time it occurs, some of them are real some are hauntings. 
Going back from there we will find the nature of the man she lives with, his brother, and most importantly the girl who was their everything when they were young. A wild girl who hunts snakes, and she’s the connection to a ghost hunter and exorcist, a man the forest chose to save from the war, to a mother without a daughter, to French occupation, to rape and serfdom.
It’s not the easiest read due to its complicated timeline, that keeps shifting, going back and forward with no great logic, but you get used to it after a while and when the dots all start connecting, when you understand that what matters are the different stories and the history, not the timeline or that one story it becomes addictive.
Not knowing Vietnam or its people I believe this is the closest I will ever get, as the book brilliantly woven a tale that encompasses so much of the culture, history, and people, also the present and how it is affected by its folklore and past. 
Definitely a read I recommend, especially if you’re looking for a great read for API month.

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hannakutlu's review against another edition

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

5.0


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mateoj's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

4.75

oh this was so good. this was so good! just the right side of scary without being over-the-top, the storylines integrated (near) seamlessly... I'm kind of in awe. not that it was perfect, because it wasn't, but that's a damn good book. 
(and once again we have a book that taps into one of my very specific fears/fascinations: two-headed snakes!) 

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