Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - A Certain Hunger

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

11 reviews

stomachpains's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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tatimarie8284's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

it honestly took me a while to get into, the first day i got it i was struggling to read the first chapter because i wasn’t expecting the writing style but after i got past it it was such a page turner! couldn’t put it down! it was so uncomfortably descriptive it made it easy to put yourself in her world even though you wouldn’t want to. definitely one worth reading but not if you have a weak stomach

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killmoore_'s review against another edition

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Okay. I struggled with this one. Not because it's poorly written, or that it lacks a good narrative. Not that the premise isn't absolute perfection. I wasn't turned off by the gore. I wasn't offended. If this was written in any other style, I would have devoured this book in a single sitting. I wanted so desperately to love it.

However.

This book reads like a young person trying to squeeze as many derogatory words into 200-something pages as they possibly can. It feels... greasy. It doesn't feel like feminist grit. It tries too hard to portray psychopathy. It's a mess. The gore is the best part, and it really is well written, it's just every other aspect of this book that made me shut it.

Will I pick it back up someday? Probably. The only reason I didn't finish it was due to an inability to renew this and another novel which I'd much rather fly through before returning them.

Would I actively recommend this? No. I understand why people love it, it's just truly not for me.

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peachani's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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autumngk's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.75

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting from this book-cannibalism, sure, but the nonlinear format took me by surprise. Something about it felt too reliant on shock value and grotesque tropes, but after all it is a cannibal serial killer. I don’t know if I’m just beginning to be turned off by horror novels, but this one did the trick. There were really great sections, and I mean chapters at a time where the writing was absolutely beautiful and engaging. I wish we got to know more about Dorothy’s life as the prison librarian and how that began to effect her; I can’t tell if my reservations with this book are that if felt too short and heavy/reliant on the gore to tell its story or what! We get this really nice look into her life…..

after she’s adjusted to prison life during their group when the arsonist is telling her story and some of the other women are talking and Dorothy reveals a possible change in her feelings about what she’s done/herself. It’s not worthy of a sequel, just a couple more chapters here and there. While what we’re left with is a complete picture, it felt like there were just some missed opportunities. So many offers were put up in the air by introducing her in the present as working in the library; especially given her relationship with Emma, it felt unfinished in a way. We know so much about her while she’s cannibalizing and murdering these men senselessly, but it feels pointless to still know her while she’s imprisoned and know so little about her in the present. She still has the same voice. She still speaks the same about humanity. What about her changed? if nothing did, why this story? Why now? Just to sell cannibal torture porn?

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