Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Return by Rachel Harrison

27 reviews

aparker89's review

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

thissagreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This book was all the things I wished it wasn’t: the main  character’s self pitying, weird and awkward moments, unresolved tension, slow paced, and a “wait huh?” Ending.

Basically there’s a friend group and Julie disappears and comes back a year later, as a vampire who can’t control her urges? And the friend closest to her -Elise- just complains and whines and pities herself throughout the ENTIRE BOOK I WANTED TO SCREAM! All the friends hate their lives, and once Elise lets Julie go into the woods to be “free” the rest survive, and try to live in the present.

This book was awful and it was a huge waste of my time that I’ll never get back. Reader be warned!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Classism

sydresnik's review

3.5

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Violence, Cannibalism, Stalking

Minor: Cancer

dblue236's review

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 This book made me wildly uncomfortable and caused me to have trouble falling asleep over the course of the two days I spent reading it, and I loved every second of it. The setting was phenomenal, and I love this author's ability to snap from mundane, everyday conversations to terrifying scenes of horror in the blink of an eye. I also appreciate that she doesn't rely on gore and splatter in an effort to be "scary." There is definitely a little of that, but the story itself got under my skin in a way that doesn't happen very often and I won't be forgetting this one any time soon. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder

atmissv's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief

Minor: Toxic friendship

heypretty52's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Minor: Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent

monstersinspace's review

3.0

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Spoilers: The story sorta meandered around a bit and only really picked up like 75% through the book. It was like the author wanted to write both a coming of age story about out growing friendships and how life changes, but hey also this girl might be a demon. It was well written and I liked the characters I just think some of it got lost in the interpersonal relationships which isn't necessaryly a bad thing, but I went in expecting a horror book and I'm not sure if it fully delivered on that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol

traa's review

4.5

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Vomit, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship

Minor: Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia

kt2e56's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Unlike most of the other reviews, I actually didn’t mind the buildup before shot hits the fan. I think it adds a lot to the story and makes the characters feel real, still a little annoying, but real. Some of their questionable decisions make sense because we spent so much time with them. The horror elements really work once shit kicks off. The tension is thick. The creature design is great. I really dug it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship

uhhlexiconic's review

4.5

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The Return wonderfully balances horror with human grief and the right to move on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer