You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
k_rose95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Felt like Gary was just shoehorned in for plot though, he didn't contribute anything to the end game.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
jeninthebooks08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I liked the first book a lot more.
2.5 stars
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, and Gore
jimgerdes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
There's always a skepticism that comes with sequels, especially when it is for a beloved novel like Gone to See the River Man, Krisopher Triana's 2020 breakout horror novel about the personal hells we create for ourselves. Too often sequels are made either with a commercial interest in mind to build on the sales success of the original work or are cumbersome retreads of the same material.
A good sequel builds and expands on the original text, either taking the story in new and interesting directions, or further exploring the themes the prior work touched on. A sequel is an opportunity for an author to revisit their work, understand what worked and did not, or explore new directions with the same ideas.
It's too bad then, that following River Man's thoughtful explorations of the destruction of an American family, sexuality in society, and dive into the psyche of a truly despicable protagonist, that the sequel would fail so completely to recapture these elements that made the first book so fascinating.
Structurally, there is nothing new in River of Flesh that separates it meaningfully from its predecessor. The protagonists, as noted in the book's blurb, seek the deranged killer from the first novel as he ventures to see the mythical River Man. This means the book takes place in the same setting, revisiting the same set pieces from the previous novel. In this way, Triana quite literally retreads his previous novel.
The sole structural difference being that this novel has four main POV characters compared to the previous novel's one. This works against the story, as there is little time to truly understand and watch these characters grapple with their demons as we saw Lori do in River Man. While Lori revealed herself to be a truly deplorable person, we saw her grapple with those feelings, and make her choices accordingly. None of these characters carry that same dynamism. They are unrepentantly horrible from the beginning (with the exception of one who is mostly a helpless victim), with no reflection or exploration of why. This makes them far less interesting, and their fates feel unsatisfying to see play out.
In this way, Triana's story really misses the mark of what was previously set up in River Man. Where Lori journeyed through her own personal hell as a result of her choices, these characters are simply brute and blunt objects wielded against each other.
There is one other thing to be said and that is the depiction of the character's evil deeds. Obviously, the grotesqueness of the protagonist is an important piece of the original, but where River of Flesh falls flat is that these characters' actions do not seem to serve any central theme; they are simply perpetrators of the most horrific acts of evil that can be described. Their pasts are truly shocking once they (somewhat arbitrarily) revealed two-thirds of the way through the story, but they do not contribute to the readers' understanding of them as people other than that they are despicable and revel in their own evil.
The descriptions of these acts are frankly gratuitous. They don't serve the story or the characters and seemingly exist to be shocking and repulsive. This is not captivating horror, and is my biggest disappointment with this novel, especially since Triana has previously revealed himself to be extremely capable of approaching these subjects thoughtfully in this very series.
There are some poignant things touched on in this story, but most of them don't tread any particularly new ground. It does not further develop the themes of the original work, nor does it use those themes in new and thoughtful ways. The splatter and depravity are taken to new levels, but these were never the aspects of River Man that made it an interesting read. It's concerning that Triana did not take that into account when writing this sequel.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
kelsieerenee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
Very very graphic.missgrangerr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kikis_a_book_wh0r3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
perax_01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Torture, Excrement, Trafficking, and Mass/school shootings
hapikohw's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
mikepalumbo's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
aykdanroyd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail