Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

24 reviews

jupitermaybe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Racism, Classism, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Pregnancy, Slavery, Torture, Gore, Body horror, Child death, and Dementia

Minor: Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Vomit, and Grief

bugbites's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Gore, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Infertility, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Car accident

kamryn_grace_'s review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Cannibalism, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content, Dementia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

lokes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Excrement, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism

jenstef's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was at times a hard read, but every word very worth it. 

That ending has me in knots, pieces, and shock. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Body horror, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Cannibalism, Death, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, and Torture

little_bean's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Systematic, organized cannibalism on a global scale. The world governments have turned to cannibalism in order to handle overpopulation, poverty, crime, etc. The "Transition" proved hard at first, for some it was almost impossible, but eventually everyone becomes accustomed to "special meat."
I honestly greatly enjoyed this story, but it is not an easy read. My stomach was twisting up to the very last page with so many parts completely stopping me in my tracks. The book's use of language as a way to show how detached and delusional humanity is as people are literally farm, slaughtering, and eating other people is incredible and the Third person limited is perfect. This story also had one of the most amazing ends that I've ever read. I couldnt have imagined this book finishing in any other way. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Genocide

Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Sexual content

missrisslee's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

4.0

This book is distributing and gruesome with an ending that absolutely shook me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Cursing, Murder, Body horror, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Child death

branwynnemay's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Word to the wise: if you’re an empathetic person, do not just pick this one up.

The bleakness of The Jungle and the unrelenting horror of human nature of Parable of the Sower, The Road and 1984… but without any of the goodness those story’s authors offer the reader to hold on to. After all, to live in this world and be good, one would go insane- just as to read this book and be good, the reader must disassociate and consistently hold counsel with the questions this story begs. How deep is our collective cognitive dissonance that we can eat meat? Why don’t we care more about how our food is raised and slaughtered? What is our relationship to each other, ourselves and nature? If sociopaths have no empathy, what are we, and who do we want to be? 

This story was too dark for me, too painful and despairing. It’s honestly the most horrific book I have ever read and I felt traumatized when it was over. The only way I should have read it was in small doses with a large book club who met often to have long discussions and support one another. 

But I didn’t. And I’m sorry.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Excrement, Fatphobia, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Gore, Infertility, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Dementia, Dysphoria, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

Graphic, gore, traumatizing, horrific, despairing

ingmund's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No

5.0

It is horrible. So horrible. The author takes a completely horrifying premise, then spins it, giving us a view of so many different, terrible ways it impacts the world. The main character is completely fascinating, and it is constantly a challenge to figure out his ethical lines - I found myself alternately sympathizing with him and seeing him as a monster. 
So, it's awful, but also so beautifully wrought that I can't give it any fewer than 5 stars. The last line literally took my breath away.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Animal death, and Gaslighting

Minor: Car accident and Infertility

rkorevenge's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This made me queasy and the ending is horrific. Not for the faint of heart. Seriously, check trigger warnings. This was the most vicious storytelling I’ve ever encountered and it just doesn’t stop. It’s just absolutely brutal from the first page to the last. The ending literally made me throw the book across the room in anger. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a book. It’s a good book but I will never read it again. I don’t have to read it again honestly because the last line will haunt me for the rest of my life. This is a truly horrific imaging of atrocities that our infrastructures, languages, cultures, and governments are capable of implementing and justifying- and how quickly we would allow it to happen. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Infertility, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Classism, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, and War