Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

5 reviews

rrgitt's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I went back and forth between audio and ebook formats. Ultimately, audiobook served my not-that-great-with-horror sensibilities best. 

This was emotionally harrowing. Bela was so sweet and surrounded by so little real support. Her parents were frustrating through the end. 

I was deeply troubled by metaphors that seemed to align with child grooming and sexual abuse, which leaves me very conflicted about how I feel about the book as a whole. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Animal death

lizgom's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I hated so many things about this book, solely because what the f*ck is up with this family.

Sh*t hit the fan so early in the book, I wasn't expecting that lol.

I started reading the book and was creeping myself out so I decided to go the audiobook route because I wouldn't be able to push through if I was the one setting the tone. Overall the story was interesting, I really like all the reactions it got out of me. I don't remember the last time I actually felt SOMETHING while reading.

Definitely read the triggers to this before picking it up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy

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

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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

dblue236's review

dark mysterious tense fast-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

I can't resist picking up a new book from this author every time I see one. This one took a bit of getting used to due to the format of it, but there was a helpful author's note at the beginning of the book that makes that less of a challenge. I loved watching the story unfold, though I can't say I wasn't at least a little bit let down by the ending. Overall, though, this was a great creepy read that will leave me thinking about it for some time. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, and Alcohol

50shadesofrae's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Points for a couple good scares, but at least 25% of the latter half of the book didn’t progress the plot at all? Every adult character in the book was overly talkative, talked in circles about things no one in their right mind would talk to a child about, and was so unbearable that I found myself hoping they would die in the next supernatural incident. 

Brave to attempt a kid narrated horror story, but another unfortunate case of authors being bad at writing kids. Finished for the sake of finishing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Pregnancy