Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

79 reviews

librisaddictus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse and Violence

gossamer_lens's review

dark mysterious 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

4.0

Overall a creepy and interesting short story collection. The below are my ratings for each short story. My rating for the book is the average of these:

3.75 - The Dirty Kid
4.25 - The Inn
2.75 - The Intoxicated Years
4.5 - Adela's Hours
5 - An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt
3.5 - Spiderweb
4.75 - End of Term
4 - No Flesh Over Our Bones
4.25 - The Neighbot's Courtyard
3.5 - Under the Black Water
2.75 - Green Red Orange 
4.75 - Things We Lost in the Fire

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Police brutality, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Excrement, Murder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Gun violence, Child abuse, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Vomit, Eating disorder, Drug use, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Addiction

zmeiat's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Animal death, Child death, Blood, and Gore

drgnhrt968's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Body horror, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, and Death

emilyseebold's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Mental illness, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Drug use, Police brutality, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

Moderate: War, Vomit, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Pedophilia, Gun violence, and Torture

Minor: Homophobia and Eating disorder

revjess's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Child death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

npericchi's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Súper bueno. Cien por cien recomendado.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

moth_gf184's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death

saint_eleanor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Hell yeah 
We got catboys, we got eldrich horrors beyond the imagination in a river, and we got skinty girls who murder men for fun 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Child abuse

Minor: Rape

cangell's review against another edition

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

4.5

These spooky tales are dark, gruesome, spellbinding, and will stay with you long after (especially when you turn off the lights at night- looking at you, “Adela’s House”). I binge-read the book in two days because it was impossible to put down. 

Haunted by the specter of Argentina’s troubled past, these stories are a powerful commentary on state violence, the patriarchy, and the everyday horror of powerlessness. They strike a perfect balance of subtext and storytelling, painting a vivid portrait of social upheaval in South America without being didactic or sacrificing the suspense. The stories are violent and brutal (def not for the faint of heart- see trigger warnings), but not for mere shock value.  Horror is having a major renaissance right now and this is an excellent example of the genre at its best.

With any collection, there are hits and misses. I disliked some, like “The Dirty Kid,” because I felt like they portrayed addicts and homeless people in a stigmatizing way, but after reading the entire book, I realize the intention was to highlight the horrors of poverty and society’s indifference to their suffering. The translator did a fantastic job- the language is stunning (though I wish I could read it in its original Spanish because I wonder if the tone of certain things might change). There are so many standouts. The title story is simply spectacular, the crown jewel of the collection. “Under the Dark Water” was another favorite. This is a must read for any fan of literary horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Child abuse, Violence, Addiction, Suicide, Police brutality, and Death