Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

66 reviews

jennxreviews's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I didn't know if this was supposed to be horrific or hilarious, it turned out to be a roller coaster. When you think you know what's going on something will happen that will knock you down. 
Triggers for domestic abuse, alcoholism, child abuse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

prizazz's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense

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

5.0

The author hits you pretty hard over the head with her point but I’m not mad about it. It is a classic haunted house narrative where the house is also a character while also reflecting on the challenges of home ownership and what people have to go through to have secure housing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

hookerkitty's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Hands down the best book I read all year *chef’s kiss*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Cannibalism

maregred's review

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, Vomit, and Cannibalism

witchymermaid's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. I don't want to give much away, but this book had so many layers that slowly peeled away. I couldn't put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and Gaslighting

lmconway_ak's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

The perfect Halloween read! An excellent story well written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Murder

herelieshenry's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

This to me is the quintessential modern haunted house novel, the perfect conclusion for the lineage of the genre through the early days of Gothic haunted houses with a heavy focus on women’s anxieties and agoraphobia, to the more contemporary haunted house novel post-Amityville with focus on financial instability keeping someone within the house and the looming presence of

domestic violence

throughout the stories. If one were to study the history of haunted house novels throughout the decades, this is the perfect one for the 2020s.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Gore, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Cannibalism

sofipitch's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

I read this one for a book club and had never heard of it but I'm really glad I did! I did enjoy a lot of what this book was doing theme-wise, it reminded me a lot of the Babadook, where the monster is both a metaphor yet also real. I'll talk about the reveal behind spoilers (at least kinda, we have an unreliable narrator on our hands boys). It also had this fake out for a reveal which again I won't say what but looking at the page count I was pretty sure wasn't right but it really almost had me convinced.

I was really glad too, it fakes you out on the 'it was all in her head and psychosis' which it a) often boring and tropey but mostly is just not as scary. Being in a mental institution is not as bad as a haunted house trying to kill you and no one believes you. This fit well too with the themes of abuse, where the abuser gaslights you about the abuse and ppl might believe the abuser 's lies. A haunted house as an abuser was excellent as well, easily the best part of the book

The biggest downsides to this is that the plot "twists" (different from the ones discussed above) that weren't as linked to the themes were more predictable and wouldn't have made a good book on their own. I put twists in "" bc you can see them coming from a mile away. The book is also slow going and repetitive in the beginning, I wouldn't be that enthused to keep reading, but I read the last 1/3rd all in one sitting once things got going. There is also an absence of any mention of race, of any of the characters (default white syndrome) but also given a house from the 1800s USA with an owner called "Master", kind of chickenshit to avoid even a cursory handwave

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Cannibalism

thepeonyinink's review

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Cannibalism, and Murder

evspekkie's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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: Gore

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder

Minor: Cannibalism