Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

NOS4A2: Nosferatu by Joe Hill

4 reviews

priscillarobock's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

wingandscale's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was my first book I've read by Joe Hill and it was quite good. I think there were some unnecessary horror tropes that the story could have been fine without and I wasn't thrilled with the blatant fatphobia surrounding Louis Carmody, but overall I enjoyed it and would read it again. I didn't know that the author was the son of Stephen King until after I read the book but it makes sense as there are several references to Stephen King books that I was surprised he was allowed to put in the story. Hill's writing style is also a bit similar to King's but you can tell he made it his own. I thought the characters were decent and there were a couple quotes that I'll probably be bookmarking because they were genuinely very good and insightful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Fatphobia and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

emilyspex's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

There were things about this book I loved and things that I hated. I loved the characters and the story, but the way the author writes really got to me. Why would a child hold another child "like a lover"? Why did he have Lou and Vic fall in love when he was 20 and she was 16? Why did the author include a racial slur in the middle of his book? Also, if I heard one more description of sweet, kind-hearted Lou as a fatty fat fat landwhale manatee fatso, I might have had a stroke. Honestly, I'm fine with having a character's fatness be an issue or struggle, but the author described this wonderful character as if he hated his guts.

There were long stretches where I enjoyed this book, but I would really struggle to recommend it to anyone.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

shepherd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my Halloween read after reading reviews stating it was the scariest book people had ever read. Maybe I'm immune to being scared, because this did nothing for me in that aspect. I found the mentions/description of rape, child abuse, and pedophila disgusting. Did that scare me? No. 

I think I was expecting some horrifying blood sucking adventure of chaos and murder. Instead it was an energy vampire or some shit. 

The characters are fleshed out and Vic is ballsy and incredibly damaged, I dug that. Lou is amazing, enough said.

I did feel the entire novel was paced medium to slow. I should have expected that, given the family ties. The end was incredibly rushed after 650 pages. The finally chapter left me wondering how it even made sense. Lou was so absolutely in love with Vic, bit a couple months after she dies he's basically shaking up with the FBI agent? Excuse me, but no, that made absolutely no sense after spending 700 pages explaining how tied to each other these two characters are emotionally.

I likely will skip all other Hill books as they're too much like King, which is slow and superfluous.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence