Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel

3 reviews

elliott_the_clementine's review

dark hopeful sad 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

3.5

A weird-as-heck dystopian novel that creates a dark, intriguing world as a backdrop for the fuzzy, familiar classic detective trope (and the associated murder mystery plot). Generally good fun, though there is a fair bit of gore that is vaguely out-of-place. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Stalking, Drug use, Alcohol, Gore, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Body horror, Medical trauma, Murder, Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Gun violence, and Drug abuse

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

There were so many great ideas in this book but I felt the author was trying too hard, trying to include every single thing he could think of to add to the world building or plot but without really adding any depth. It seemed superficial and like he was checking off a list of what sounded good. 

It was hard to like any of the characters; the main character wasn’t particularly sympathetic and other important characters seemed likable up until they really weren’t. The only really sympathetic character was Lila and she wasn’t fully developed. 

The whole feeling was of smarminess. I know this was intentional but it didn’t make it enjoyable. I’m very liberal but this was just too strong an analogy of how the white conservatives are stifling and crushing anything non-white and non-conservative. More subtlety would have been more effective. 

I found the issue of cloning better developed in Richard K Morgan’s book Altered Carbon, and body swapping more creatively shown in Kathryn Bigelow’s movie Strange Days. As I said, lots of good ideas here but I didn’t care for the presentation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Violence, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Religious bigotry, Body horror, and Classism

literarylion's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.75

This seems more like a spec script for a big sci-fi blockbuster than a novel; that is to say, entertaining but not necessarily substantive. I enjoyed reading it but found myself distracted by the world-building Michel does through infinitesimal details. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Cursing, Abandonment, Medical content, Body horror, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Drug use, and Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, and Police brutality