Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

33 reviews

artemis7's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Gun violence, Animal death, Gore, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

gnarlyrae's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Pedophilia

lancemama's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Violence, Child death, Bullying, Alcoholism, Gore, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Grief, Alcohol, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Child death, Death of parent, Blood, Gun violence, Vomit, Racism, Cursing, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Violence, Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Pedophilia

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Colonisation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

devilledgreggs's review

dark emotional funny 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

4.25

Stephen graham jones I love you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Death of parent, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Medical content, Gun violence, and Alcoholism

Minor: Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Mental illness, Incest, Cultural appropriation, Sexual assault, and Dementia

henrygravesprince's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is a stunning follow-up to Chainsaw, serving as the slasher literature’s equivalent of the premier slasher film sequel (which, to be clear, is Scream 2, no contest). I was expecting it to be a 5-star follow-up, and it was. The writing is strong, the flow is fun (SGJ pulls off the ping-ponging perspectives like a champ), the audio cast is stellar. While the first book is patterned after the classic slasher, slow to ramp up and then all at once, this is patterned after the traditional slasher sequel: gorier, jumping straight into the action with a quicker, more persistently relentless pace. This book deals with cycles—cycles of trauma and of brutality, cycles of nature, of the beginning and the ending and starting again, emphasized by the slasher cycle and the murder cycles

of Dark Mill South

. Rebirth, and the connections forged in its fire, in friendship, in family; lineage in the wake of colonization and gentrification, and the lineage of the final girl; finding yourself again after rejecting who you are in order to survive. Getting more of Proofrock’s history was a delight, and the town is as much of a character here as anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Animal death and Ableism

Grooming; Brief discussion of antisemitic tropes; very brief mention of implied defilement of dead bodies

elysianbud's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

"...many sequels have surpassed their original!"
"Name one!"

The answer: 'Don't Fear the Reaper'.

He's only gone and Terminator 2/Aliens/The Godfather Part 2'd us. One has to wonder if Stephen Graham Jones did this on purpose--the ultimate meta callback to Scream 2's classroom scene about sequels, because this sequel is better than the original.

Yet another incredibly fun ode to slashers, in my opinion, 'Don't Fear the Reaper' far exceeds its predecessor. I found the plot easier to follow, the characters more alive (until they're dead), and overall more entertaining. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Murder, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, and Animal death

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Classism, Medical trauma, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Medical content

atomicbritt's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Violence