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2.76 AVERAGE
2.76 AVERAGE
dark
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
deeply deeply unsettling
there arent enough trigger warnings to prepare you for this one. trust me.
some passages are truly beautifully written and im appreciative of many of the descriptions of the protagonists emotional state as he navigates strange occurences. also extra points for the main characters name. loved that detail.
absolutely did not expect where it ended up based on where it started. what starts as a mystery, turns into a gruesome detailed account of incredible pain and suffering without any potential redemption. the moments of levity are few and far between. includes a confusing and interesting take on religious devotion. was definitely left with many unanswered questions.
was super hopeful up until about 30% of the way through and then became very hopeful (almost desperately so) at 65% that there would be some amazing redemption arc that made it all make sense. spoiler sorry, there isnt.
there arent enough trigger warnings to prepare you for this one. trust me.
some passages are truly beautifully written and im appreciative of many of the descriptions of the protagonists emotional state as he navigates strange occurences. also extra points for the main characters name. loved that detail.
absolutely did not expect where it ended up based on where it started. what starts as a mystery, turns into a gruesome detailed account of incredible pain and suffering without any potential redemption. the moments of levity are few and far between. includes a confusing and interesting take on religious devotion. was definitely left with many unanswered questions.
was super hopeful up until about 30% of the way through and then became very hopeful (almost desperately so) at 65% that there would be some amazing redemption arc that made it all make sense. spoiler sorry, there isnt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment
F*ck this book and everything it stands for. Depictions of violence, particularly when executed with central themes of sexually violent acts and hate crimes, should not be handled carelessly as a meaningless B-plot which just seems to exist for shock value and the author’s own gratification. This feels like nothing more than an inexperienced author putting his favorite character through extreme pain because, idk, they either think it’s cool and edgy or else a good source of self-therapy/venting. What it’s NOT is a meaningful exploration of the subject for the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Biphobia, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
This pains me so much to write.. We all know I'm a HUGE LaRocca fan, his writing and prose are absolutely beautiful and the way he crafts his stories just pulls me in completely. The entire story had a wonderfully unsettling and creepy atmosphere leaving you with constant dread, which I LOVE. However, some topics were handled so poorly in this. Why on earth did we have a gay couple whose sole purpose was just to suffer? It added nothing to the story and yes, what they went through was horrifying but it did not add anything to the plot until the final couple of pages, and even then the ending was so bizarre and unexplained, I think if the ending was more climactic and impactful I could understand the horrors this poor couple faced but it felt so unjustified. Then the case of r*pe being handled so unbelievably badly, I appreciate this is a horror and we do have to suspend disbelief but as a survivor I cannot comprehend someone being subject to that then referring to their attacker as their ''god'' and feeling attraction, I hope I'm missing something because that was atrocious on all levels. The actual story, I was hooked, but I cannot overlook the unjustified extensive homophobia, dreadfully handled sexual assault and a very unclimactic ending.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a real trip. A quick read that can be completed in a day or so but just utterly hopeless. Difficult to grasp the “point” of this one and it’s not quite long enough to warrant spending time interpreting it. Maybe it’s religious, maybe it’s about life and human trauma, maybe it’s about loss, or just shuffling ideas hoping something sticks. Normally when a horror book is “disturbing” it’s a compliment but this book felt gross and depressing just for the sake of it; in a “trying to be edgy” sort of way.
It switches between character perspectives every chapter so feels a bit disorientating. I make no insinuations about the author, but some of the material is certainly questionable. On a positive note, this book is clearly inspired by Hellbound Heart and other Clive barker works.
Gave it a 2..5 out of 5. Easy to read and engaging but the lack of clear resolution and some of the more disturbing/questionable happenings may be too much for casual readers.
It switches between character perspectives every chapter so feels a bit disorientating. I make no insinuations about the author, but some of the material is certainly questionable. On a positive note, this book is clearly inspired by Hellbound Heart and other Clive barker works.
Gave it a 2..5 out of 5. Easy to read and engaging but the lack of clear resolution and some of the more disturbing/questionable happenings may be too much for casual readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Medical trauma
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book attempts lush prose only to teeter between overwrought sentences and weak verbs (characters are always sensing things that happen to them, rather than things just happening to them). The plot is not that great either but the quality of the prose is worse, and ended up being the only thing I could focus on. Count how many times things are "ladled" or "curtained".