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bibliograflieg's review against another edition
dark
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
3.0
This was... brutal. (Duh, it's splatterpunk; what am I talking about?) This is honestly not my type of book, but I think that Bryan Smith did a really good job getting into each character's head, which made the whole book even more disturbing. He also wove the interlocking stories together really well (even though I fully didn't realize that the Prestons and Maynards were different clans and that Michelle and Justine were different people for over half of the book - that was honestly my fault for not paying attention and speeding the audiobook up too much and not the fault of Smith's craftsmanship). This was gross, which was the point, but there was an attention to craft that I really respected. This was incredibly difficult to rate because it's not my preferred subgenre, but here is my attempt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Infertility, and Incest
lucasm12333's review against another edition
5.0
Wow
This book surpassed all of my expectations. I was expecting the generic gory hardcore horror with a cliche storyline.
Not here. The author kept the pace at warp speed and really fleshed out the characters. There was plenty of Gore but it fit the story. Some authors just seem to add Gore to shock readers, and cover a stale story. Not Bryan Smith! This is horror done right. Fantastic!
This book surpassed all of my expectations. I was expecting the generic gory hardcore horror with a cliche storyline.
Not here. The author kept the pace at warp speed and really fleshed out the characters. There was plenty of Gore but it fit the story. Some authors just seem to add Gore to shock readers, and cover a stale story. Not Bryan Smith! This is horror done right. Fantastic!
afinalgirl's review
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
“Such a pretty speech.”
Pete shook his head. “It’s not just a speech. It’s—”
“The Prestons ate my fiancé.”
depraved is like the hills have eyes x house of 1000 corpses and honestly reads like some wildly unrealistic fanfic - but there’s something about it that is so compelling you have to keep reading? just don’t take it seriously.
i enjoyed the multiple POVs, even though they never crossed over at any point, and i loved how fast-paced it was. it never got boring. there’s a lot of violence and sexual assault in this, like it’s constant, and i feel that’s part of the shock value the author was going for. the coping mechanism of each character are HILARIOUS.
i found the author’s style of writing a bit stilted, and some of the reactions and thought processes of the characters felt like they were written by a teenager (i don’t know how else to describe it but i know the way i wrote as a fifteen year old and this felt like that). however there was a lot that i loved, certain phrases that were just so on point and clever 👏🏼
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Rape
hsheehan85's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
shawn_of_the_read's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.5
stueve_nics's review against another edition
The story was a good idea, but poorly executed. It’s like 5 separate stories of the same “depraved” town but none of them have any connection. I found myself bored and waiting for the end but I couldn’t make it that far
martianscuba's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhhh. Definitely a story that I expected to enjoy a lot more. The obsession with sex/rape in damn near every chapter makes it drag and ruins all logic. Laughably bad in some cases.
The writing is fluid and the chapter format was great. Bryan Smith is very talented and the setup for the second book sounds interesting enough that I might come back, but this one was kind of a mess.
The writing is fluid and the chapter format was great. Bryan Smith is very talented and the setup for the second book sounds interesting enough that I might come back, but this one was kind of a mess.
mariastram's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0