Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Girl Flesh by May Leitz

6 reviews

gia0203's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed how this book delved into the mind of its protagonist. I liked the horror elements a lot, but I think this book was really just a messed up queer love story. I think this book had a lot of heart and its description of love felt very real and lovely. The writing style became repetitive at times and I had to suspend my disbelief a lot! I did enjoy the book a lot, though, which definitely helped me see through its shortcomings. I want to read fluids by the same author now! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Kidnapping, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Murder, Transphobia, Animal death, and Torture

Minor: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Drug use

pantrat's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Eating disorder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Blood

Moderate: Transphobia, Alcoholism, Confinement, Deadnaming, Vomit, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Self harm

Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Rape, Excrement, Sexual violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

right_kidney's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Some strong writing much of the time, interesting premise and character development (including development of the narrators understanding of other characters). Super graphic and disgusting at times in a way that didn’t feel like cheap shock factor gore

Without spoilers, my only major complaint is that the main character’s reflective narration sometimes got repetitive, especially in the early to middle section of the book. I would’ve liked to see an exploration into other elements of her mind/past or at least different approaches to what themes were included. It sometimes felt like the author didn't trust the reader to understand the character through what she’d already written, and added a very blunt statement to make sure we understood (and sometimes repeating that statement multiple times).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Vomit

Minor: Drug use, Excrement, Addiction, Animal death, and Sexual violence

weirdly_reading's review

sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is the best strangers to lovers book I ever read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Torture

Minor: Transphobia

roach's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I've rebelled against the grave that was meant for me. I deserve to die in the mud with dignity like everything else. I deserve to die next to the woman I love.

May Leitz's second novel is a lot more sincere and personal than Fluids was. There are still plenty of similar themes and subjects, but Girl Flesh goes into a less pulpy direction and instead focuses more on character growth and incorporates some self-reflection of the author.

The two main characters are arguably two pieces of Leitz herself and many of their plights and hopes seem to mirror the author's own personality to a degree. The one being a musician and the other an online micro-celebrity writing about horror and/or true crime.
As a content creator herself who has spent hours researching, discussing, and analyzing true crime, gore media, and grimy fiction, May Leitz explores what that might do to a person through the characters in her book. The guilt of participating in making a spectacle of someone else's suffering, as well as how these stories fuel the growing fire to fight injustice. The book also takes on the unique experience of being a secluded person experiencing small-scale fame and all the parasocial relationships that come with it. Subjects like childhood trauma through a problematic household and transphobia are also subjects that pop up. Many of which are probably at least partially inspired by personal experiences and it makes for interesting character building in-between the gruesome violence.
It's also a fresh breeze of air to get a story like this, filled with and inspired by so much despair and suffering, that's spearheaded by two women with a genuinely harmonious relationship, ready to fight. It is satisfying to see them empower each other and demand a better future for themselves while refusing to succumb to victimhood.

This was a very fitting follow-up to Leitz's first book and I'm looking forward to where she's going from here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Gore, Death, and Transphobia

Moderate: Drug use

atranscryptid's review

dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Vomit, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, and Suicide attempt