Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

93 reviews

joshoonet's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

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

4.0

• As a non native english speaker, I had too google quite a few words
• Incredibly delicious, colourful and visceral descriptions
• The sex was - at times - a bit much for me, but it fit the theme very well and I got used to it
• Timeless vibes for some reason
• The protagonist (and writer of the story in form of a memoir) is deadly smart and she knows it well, hence some uncommon turns of phrase, some unusual words, some very pretty poetic writing
• Feels strangely detached from the happenings of the story, readers will know why. It works.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Stalking, and Car accident

Minor: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

autumngk's review against another edition

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?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

My head is still reeling from this 😵‍💫 It was funny and sharp, but it took me all over the place with its pacing and random interludes of memory/commentary.

Either way, I’m going to be thinking about this for a while.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Antisemitism, and Death of parent

rgrgrg's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol

elizajstocks's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

If you love true crime, food, sex, and feminism? Read it right now. Then go watch The Menu. Similar vibes. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

cjcrawfish's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

emiliareads's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Car accident

nicoleanthony's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sassylk's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this! Fast-paced, elegant writing and a really unique story. I thought the characterisation was great - Dorothy is so nuanced, you feel bad for her at points, even if she’s telling you the story of a series of gruesome murders. I believe you can never have enough metaphor/simile, and G. Summers clearly backs me up on this point - the prose is so juicy and fulfilling, I couldn’t stop reading. At times I felt there were sections that repeated themselves and were a bit too indulgent (i.e, slightly just there to add some fun metaphor but not anymore meat to the story), and these could do with some editing down, but I thought this was a wonderful debut novel, and I would definitely read more of G. Summers’ work!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Cannibalism, Car accident, and Murder

lqne's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol