Reviews with content warning for Body horror - A Certain Hunger

This book made me wish I was better at cooking, in a really weird way. There is something very novel in reading the thoughts and emotions of a female serial killer.

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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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sproinkly's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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xtritagonist's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced

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

4.75

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abundance_of_fiction's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Almost a 4 stars but more like 3.5. This book was short but the pacing still felt slow due to the monologue and narration. As a serial killer/thriller fan it was entertaining to see the author weave in many of these infamous women into her story and how they related to Dorothy. Reading about this psychopathic cannibal was both grotesque but intriguing as far as a narrative goes. Dark but engaging.

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sbauer2894's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny medium-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

4.5

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