Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

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

91 reviews

moonlitemuseum's review against another edition

adventurous 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

Sometimes a book hits at exactly the point in time that you need it. I was hooked on this from the opening paragraph—it has a cinematic, snappy quality that lesser writers try and fail to capture, paired with breakneck pacing and witty, grounded dialog. A friend said that the author specializes in emphasizing human horror despite the supernatural goings-on, and I felt that here. The vampirism aspect was gripping, but it didn't compare to the cold misery of realizing this poor Southern housewife was a relative alien in her own home and life and with very few people at her back. 
There are elements of this book I disliked, but they were small enough that they didn't spoil my overall enjoyment. (Some parts that I was dissatisfied with might have even made the book stronger in the end. I'm not sure how satisfyingly the book could wrap up the ambient half-arcs of Patricia's children, and although I thought it unnecessary for the book to linger so long and lewdly on the rape segments I won't deny that they were effectively grim.)
A fast, exciting, and deliciously tawdry read that made me excited to read more. I can't give much higher praise than that!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death and Religious bigotry

fionaraney's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Dementia

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol

katrinasherise's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting

huldasif's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book is kind of like The Stepford Wives meets Salem's Lot meets Fried Green Tomatoes, but it was funnier.  The first chapter was hilarious in fact. I was laughing my head off, it was so funny. I was a little disappointed the book didn't continue on like that, but the book was still good. It became less funny as the horror built up, naturally. It would have been too much of a reprieve and taken away the suspense if it had kept on being so funny I guess. Plus, it just doesn't do to be laughing while children are dying on the next page. It was more creepy than scary though. The husbands were just as creepy as the vampire actually, which I thought was pretty clever of the author. I almost wanted to do them off too, they made me so mad. I'll definitely be reading My Best Friend's Exorcism too! But I sure hope Grady Hendrix writes a comedy if she hasn't already, because she is the funniest writer I ever came across. That first chapter was the best.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Hate crime and Infidelity

thiskelsey's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-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? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

Minor: Vomit and Abortion

stiletto_snake's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Not enough vampires

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Addiction, Genocide, Vomit, and Dementia

jlye'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Despite giving a 3.75 rating, I really enjoyed this book! As a mom in a book club of moms, who also loves true crime books and podcasts, The Guide to Slaying Vampires hit a lot of right notes for me. I was particularly drawn in by Mrs. Greene's storyline and how her experience in the book mirrors real-life issues with wider society and police turning a blind eye to the safety of BIPOC children and families. 

James Harris is a truly sinister villain who embodies the nightmares of many women

. I would have preferred the story be told with Mrs. Greene as the main character, not Patricia, and for that I knocked my overall rating down by 1 star. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting

chasingpages1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Rape, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Alcohol

purplatypus's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury