Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

8 reviews

detective_dipstick's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Alcohol

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Bullying, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

aleen_elizabeth's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

kjlewis494's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity, Blood, and Gaslighting

killmoore_'s review

dark tense fast-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? Yes

3.0

I wanted to love this so much, and I might have... as a movie. The intentionally vague writing style fell flat considering we had all the details of the parents uncomfortable bedtime monologuing, but none of the intense visual descriptions that a child would use to describe something truly unnatural - it felt like an easy way out. I had no idea what I was supposed to be scared of. 

It was an incredibly tense read with no real payoff, and an ending that left me so disappointed that I don't honestly know if I'd read another book by this author. If the awful ending, missed potential with the writing style and the atrocious characteristics of Ursula weren't enough to put you off of this book, the over use of the word "piqued" sure as shit will. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

racheltheripper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Before I started this book, I told my husband that I never really felt the fear or chills others describe when reading horror. Enter: Incidents Around the House, audiobook narrated by Delanie Nicole Gill.

There's a lot to unpack with this one, and the story being told by the perspective of an eight year old girl made it all the more frightening and entertaining. And coming from a broken home and understanding that early childhood trauma, the human experience was so beautifully woven into the supernatural.

10/10, but dear God I won't read this one again. Maybe.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

vixenreader's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.75

Pacing issues aside, this horrifying text is a testament to how a child’s world can be deeply altered by a broken household and how isolating it can feel when said child is going through a crisis. Seriously, it is a masterpiece in childhood tragedy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Medical content

Be aware that this text addresses child endangerment, broken households, scammers, grooming, families in crisis, and home invasion.

devynreadsnovels's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

blacksphinx's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I've never seen a horror novel hit the ground running like that. I also didn't know you could pull off a jumpscare in a non-visual medium. The unadorned prose and unique formatting allow the novel to move at a breakneck pace while chilling you to the bone. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Stalking

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Violence, Blood, and Pregnancy