Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

89 reviews

mosscliffs's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault

ugh1ife's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was a ride! First thing to know, these women are SOUTHERN. I was cringing a lot at the blatant classicism/racism/misogyny/etc. But the book did a decent job at criticizing it. AND BOY does the black community get the short end of the stick. Also, this book does kind of fall into the trope of having a black character (Mrs. Greene) do the brunt of the work especially in the aftermath. She also has to be the one to point out the obvious instances of prejudice which the other characters acknowledge in the moment but don’t really do anything about it?

At the end they admit that the black community was hurt the most but it’s in passing. And then that’s it. Like I think it’s meant to reflect that these characters are prejudiced and stuff, as a lot of rich suburb southerners are. There is also graphic violence depicted against black characters and straight up racism. So, this particular aspect fell short for me. Also, I am not black so I can only say the issues that I found with it

All the characters are extremely flawed, and so much of it had me furious (especially the husbands). It was also a deep dive into what being a “housewife” is really like and the learned helplessness of these women who have/had accepted their roles. I really think this book is for the parents: it does a great job at detailing the common worries that parents experience and their short comings. 

A short summary of the book?: a group of southern ladies form a book club that follows true crime novels. Patricia, a typical housewife in a strained marriage, befriends a newcomer to their tight night community. However, she begins to notice strange things happening and becomes increasingly convinced that their little home is in danger. 

The sexual content was a bit hard to get through, but I understand why it was there so I don’t really fault the book on it. Just be warned! 

SO SO SO MANY TRIGGER WARNINGS. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Gore, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Body horror, Gaslighting, Violence, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Blood, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Dementia, Drug abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Dementia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Excrement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Classism, Cursing, Death, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Addiction, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

ruthmoog's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.75

This gave me chills. Once I was invested I whizzed through the story, whisked up by the relentless challenge to overcome the vampiric.

The group use their women's work skills to fight, but this was a bit cliché for me - and you could play content warning bingo with it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Sexism, Stalking, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: War, Abandonment, and Vomit

Minor: Car accident

Nazism

aardwyrm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Like having your teeth pulled out by barbed wire, but they're really polite about it. There is a very scary vampire, but, you know how all good horror is about the unnatural threat AND the real ones? There's more dread in a cocktail party with friendly acquaintances than in most of the scenes with, you know, vampirism. The book juggles its time and place, both as a setting dripping with dread and with a comfortable, sympathetic gentleness that never actually lets anybody off the hook (though Mrs. Green is really much too forgiving in the last act). Does a really interesting job with being horribly physical about the most mundane and most otherworldly manifestations of gore alike. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Racial slurs, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

I liked this book, but it's billed as more horror comedy, and I do want to be clear, the horrible parts are gonna hit.

booksnooksandcooks's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.25

Do you ever read a book and afterwards, take a moment to pause and reflect how it was so clearly written by a white man? Truly, this was one of those moments.

I would like to personally thank whoever told me this book would be great for my thesis. On one hand, it gave me nothing. On the other hand, it gave me everything. The religious aspect was weak. The sexual violence of vampirism? Chock full. I especially hated the unnecessary rape scene and sexual aspects of the bloodletting.

And especially the white saviorhood combined with the strong black woman trope. Please, please, I beg of you, let black women have agency outside of a white woman's story. The whole "these rich white Southern ladies discover the meaning of true friendship and racism" schtick was just not it! Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, this will be part of the thesis.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Gore, Murder, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization

lesbegays's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

for the first few chapters i almost forgot this was a horror novel because i was so invested in these housewives’ drama. but then things got dark FAST. i don’t think i’ve ever been angrier at a fictional character than i was at the husbands in this book. if i could have skinned them all alive i would have. i HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. 
side note: it is so nice reading a book set in south carolina????? like, i know the towns they’re talking about! they shop at bi-lo!!! the bit about the whole town being busy watching the clemson v. carolina game!!!!! is this what people who live in states that are more frequently featured in fiction feel like all the time??? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Misogyny, Gore, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexism, Dementia, Torture, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Racism, Animal death, Classism, Forced institutionalization, and Pedophilia

Minor: Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Drug use

jenniferroach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Animal death, and Child death

noteleks_terces's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

claresbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

3 out of 5 stars.

The more I'm thinking about it, the more this book just made me feel sad. Like, the horror was good but the real horror was the absolute level of gaslighting the main character had to endure from everyone around her.

The true monster of this book wasn't the vampire; it was the misogyny of almost all the characters.

Also, trigger warning for my next points because this book contains multiple r*pes.

Did not need a full description of the 17 year old whilst she was being assaulted. Nor was there a need for two separate descriptions of the other r*pe that happens in this book. There are ways of including distressing topics like these in books without doing so in graphic detail.

Definitely not one of Hendrix's better works...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness