Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

33 reviews

gnarlyrae's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Pedophilia

lancemama's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Violence, Child death, Bullying, Alcoholism, Gore, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Grief, Alcohol, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Child death, Death of parent, Blood, Gun violence, Vomit, Racism, Cursing, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Violence, Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Pedophilia

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Colonisation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

suncourts's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

elysianbud's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

"...many sequels have surpassed their original!"
"Name one!"

The answer: 'Don't Fear the Reaper'.

He's only gone and Terminator 2/Aliens/The Godfather Part 2'd us. One has to wonder if Stephen Graham Jones did this on purpose--the ultimate meta callback to Scream 2's classroom scene about sequels, because this sequel is better than the original.

Yet another incredibly fun ode to slashers, in my opinion, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' far exceeds its predecessor. I found the plot easier to follow, the characters more alive (until they're dead), and overall more entertaining. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Murder, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, and Animal death

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Classism, Medical trauma, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Medical content

atomicbritt's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

bkwrm1317's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I rarely enjoy the second book in a trilogy more than the first. That is indeed the case here. 

Love Jade and Letha’s return, as well as some other familiar faces, and the introduction of new faces including our new boogeyman (all with a surprise twist at the end because duh it’s Graham Jones after all) that closes the loop on a subplot from My Heart Is A Chainsaw. 

And the last couple lines whewww! Spoiler:

” …along with what no photograph could have captured: Jade shrugging free of the two state officials holding her by the upper arms, shaking free and stepping ahead, reaching her right arm back to her waistband. When she thrusts her right arm up in victory, what she’s holding there for all the gods to see, for the whole world to know, for you to never have in your sacred collection, it’s a hook. From the killer she killed. Because she’s Jade fucking Daniels. And a thousand men like you can’t even reach up to touch her combat boots.”

Gods I love a good slasher. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the close of this series and returning to Jade, Letha and the gang, while revisiting films in anticipation of how we might close out this saga. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Death

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Violence

ehmannky's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-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 totally get that this book isn't for everyone. It's a gore-filled, violent, dense book that has prose that often twists into itself so often that I had to keep going back to see what I missed. But I loved it. I honestly think it's better than My Heart Is A Chainsaw--something about Jade and her crew being grown up and them dealing with this trauma and violence that is at the heart of the American West and the small towns just hit right. And I didn't know if I would love the multiple character POV, but it worked so well. It also had these moments of dark humor that made me chuckle amongst the horror that I just loved (Jade being indignant about a slahser using a gun was very good). I am not particularly familiar with slasher movies (I can read gore, but I can't watch it), but that didn't really turn me off anything in this book. 

My only criticism is that I felt that the fantastical element was as seamlessly integrated into the plot as it was in the last one. But I'm so excited for the third book in this series it's been so good so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Mental illness, Torture, Body horror, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Self harm, and Animal death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt