Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

2698 reviews

vivireadslit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Torture, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Pregnancy

blulibrarian's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This is a dark, dark world we find within the pages; a world where animal meat is no longer an option, so people turn to eating humans instead. The madness of this social shift pierces deep, its bloody fingers snagging every conceivable part of society.

I have a lot of thoughts. I think that the raw horror of so many things in this world come and then pass you by just as quickly. It does a lot to inform the reader on the attitudes of people at large, and those even more specifically of the main character, but it means that there are many moments or beats where the book leaves the space immediately, not giving the reader a chance to fully absorb the grim reality even if the charscters on page are (intentionaññy or not) not cognizant of it. This is a story that snatches away what little scraps of hope you have. I enjoyed it a lot, but I wanted a little more space on the page to really let the reader chew things over, to not make it so easy for the resder to breeze over what the cast might be.

Ultimately: a stark, grim, merciless near future, and a story set within the space that I wanted to see a little more bite from.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cannibalism, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death of parent, Child death, and Infertility

sierrabowers's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I thought this was a very interesting take on dystopian America. I would not recommend to anyone who is sensitive to gore or horror. I was not surprised by the ending, but I think that the author’s slow and gradual character degradation was done very well. The main character slowly descends into madness, and you can truly see it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Animal cruelty, Dementia, Medical content, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, Gun violence, Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abandonment, Animal death, Classism, Grief, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexism, Cannibalism, Death, Torture, Trafficking, and Vomit

lauriebird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book had me. This book grabbed me by its claws, dragged me down, and forced me to come face to face with one of the most bleak books ever written.

Make no mistake, this book is a horror. But it is also a masterpiece of literature. This book is brutal from beginning to end. This book made me feel gross. This book made me reflect on the classism of politics (specifically in the United States). The book stresses that 

this is a government plot to ensure population control, not a true virus

. I did not like this book but not because of Bazterricas fantastic execution. I did not like it because we are not meant to like it. It is written flatly in a clear voice of Marcos. Marcos is nihilistic and each description of everything that he goes through, right down to the colors of his world, echos that nihilism.

The last line of this book shattered me.

“She had the human gaze of a domesticated animal.” She was just an animal to him. A means to an end. Marcos, a character that we are meant to see as “on the readers side” ends up being as amoral as the rest. You cannot live a moral life in a society devoid of morality. As you read the last line, you realize that Marcos saw Jasmine the same as his dogs. The way he talks to and cares for her is still that of an animal. Yes, he sexually assaulted her for his own gain, but he still sees her only as a means to an end. The book sets this up for us to believe Marcos may overcome the societal pressures and challenges and realize that the head are in fact, also human and deserve to be treated as human. The last chapter tears every bit of that hope from you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Death, Infertility, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Child death, and Animal death

Moderate: Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

cara_anne's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Pregnancy, and Violence

lucent_moon's review against another edition

4.5

A beautiful, and haunting dystopian novel. This book is well written from what I can tell, although I wish I was able to read the original, and not just the translation. 

I went into the book almost completely blind, and was completely on edge the whole read. Dark, cynical, and occasionally funny. Only thing keeping me from a full 5 stars are two specific scenes. I absolutely loved it, but I'm not sure I'll be rereading it anytime soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Slavery

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

katvanfos's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abortion, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, and Gore

svetty_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism and Violence

graecus_'s review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

absolutely wild book which i enjoyed thoroughly. marcos is completely and utterly revolting. i did not see the end coming. i wouldn’t say that this is a “meat is murder” book, but rather a commentary on humanity and the extent to which dehumanization is possible and the extent to which atrocities become normalized. it definitely is gory and disgusting, but i would definitely recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Torture, Animal cruelty, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Dementia

cerealspiller's review against another edition

dark medium-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

4.0

It was good. Although... the last chapter infuriated me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Adult/minor relationship