Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

45 reviews

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.0

Stephen King said that this is his darkest novel, in his opinion. And he's right, probably? An upsetting concept and a somewhat obscene execution.

Coming back wrong is an interesting premise, but I just didn't like this version. Partially because there's a toddler involved, partially because I didn't like the story in general. idk. King has some fetishes, and I'm tired of hearing about them maybe?

I don't feel like there's much original I can say about this. Like, I'm not put off King books now, but maybe I'll read reviews first?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Animal cruelty, Child death, Sexual content, Animal death, Grief, Body horror, and Death

Minor: Suicide

paracosim's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Grief, Violence, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Cannibalism, and Mental illness

lizzieinmt's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Excellent writing and pacing. I loved this one. The descriptions were so vivid and engaging I found myself completely wrapped up in it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Vomit, Cursing, and Animal death

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Animal cruelty

fausticontrelibros's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Child death, Medical trauma, Suicide, Violence, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

vorticella's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.75

This my first real horror book and it was terrifying but I loved it and want more. That small town vibe with dark secrets delving into the supernatural was so gripping. I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Murder, Terminal illness, Violence, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

voicenextdoor's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

3.5 I feel like this really should have been a novella and then it would have been a 5 star read. Spending so much time in Louis’s head really didn’t serve the book. You could have cut a 1/3 of his inner monologue and had a much more compelling and terrifying story. It wasn’t until 75% that I was finally into what was happening. A disappointing reading experience because of all the hype surrounding the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Terminal illness, Child death, and Animal cruelty

truckasaurusb's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gore, Medical content, Death, Blood, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal cruelty

bokslukaren's review against another edition

4.5

This story reminds me a bit of Edgar Allan Poe, with its mounting tension, psychology and morals, but the writing is strictly King and has the power to pull the reader in from the very beginning. With an ever-growing tension and false hope, Pet Sematary is a deeply disturbing book that made me feel anxious and upset. I was wrong to expect a childish story of the title and my underestimate bit me in the ass. In between reading sessions I could feel the malevolent pull of the book. If I compare Pet Sematary to the other books I've read by King I come to the conclusion that King suffers with writing his endings, but on the other hand how can you write a satisfactory ending to something so “gweat and tewwible”?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Gore

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

lecheeese's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A study in the hold grief can have on a person

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, and Gaslighting

shelf_devoted's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? No

3.0

"Maybe I did it because kids need to know that sometimes dead is better"- Jud

My first Stephen King read, deep dark slow burn of a horror book. I appreciated the way it often touched on death, grief and loss of a loved one. I loved the overall premise of this book and what it's trying to say but half way through I had to pick up an audio to help me get through this because it dragged. I got more suspense/thriller vibes until about 20% left of the book. I think this could've been 50-100 pages less and been a 4-5 star read. The audio was great but still the story was just unnecessarily too long. I am new to the horror genre don't typically read from this genre, 2/5 on the scare scale for me, more creepy spooky than anything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Death, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Animal death