Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

4 reviews

avareadsoccasionally's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-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

5.0

I liked it a lot! I thought the concept was fun and I liked how it wasn’t exactly an everyday-werewolf book but it did still lean on some of those old werewolf stories. I thought the pacing of it was nice and I liked how it went back and forth in time as it went through the story. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this horror, though there was gore (which both are fine with me). Overall, a fun book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child death, Murder, Death of parent, and Vomit

Minor: Cannibalism

eevee314's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

SGJ is just next level. I wasnt even in the mood for this type of book currently but it was so compelling I just couldn't stop till I was done. The way he writes is both simple and wildly evocative. Hes excellent at capturing a feeling or action perfectly in as few words as possible. 
A really new take on werewolves. 
I wouldn't say it's scary like a horror movie but it's visceral and raw with horror elements.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence

Minor: Child death and Rape

childofmongreldogs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

An absolutely gorgeous book in every sense of the word.

The elements of horror and sadness are so strong. Gore heavy and a difficult read in some places despite it's length and the absolute readability of it. I have so many thoughts and how the lycanthropy relates to intergenerational trauma, the mysticism of families, poverty, etc. Just absolutely masterful.

Despite the feeling of sadness I got reading the ending, it was surprising how hopeful the ending truly was. In a book that was frequently so bleak and painful, the idea that there's a possibility for a happy ending was euphoric. I don't know what to say except that this is probably my top read this year and possibly this decade.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail

pogue's review against another edition

adventurous reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Terminal illness