Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

500 reviews

rachellenbecker's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

brie__774's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

This book is marketed and presented as if it will be a dark comedy about women in a book club taking down vampires.

Instead it is super dark, they aren’t even really friends, they don’t do a lot of vampire slayings (he’s not even a vampire?), they don’t  protect anybody, and it should have a lot of trigger warnings. 

I thought it was going to be a more Stranger Things meets Pride and Prejudice and Zombies vibe and it was more like a Stephen King’s IT vibe.

It’s a book you need to be prepared to read and I was not prepared. 

Not my thing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Dementia

kelkelkelkelly's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

As delightful as a horror novel gets. Interesting characters, gripping plot, subtext of patriarchy being the real monster. Lots of graphic, dark horror with some fun and absurdity thrown in at the right moments. A good time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicide

nerdsbianhokie's review

Idk, I keep trying Hendrix's books and there's something that just keeps missing. After getting viscerally uncomfortable with the gaslighting, I skimmed the reviews to see what else there was, and what I saw and what I know of Hendrix, I don't trust him to handle certain things well and I have to stop.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Minor: Antisemitism

While there is no outright antisemitism, the mcs young son is obsessed with nazis and the Holocaust in a way that's clear he's on the path to being a nazi, and it's kinda just wanted off, seen as an unfortunate character trait.

alisonvh's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I liked this book, but I think my hopes were a bit too high given all the hype surrounding this book. It’s also a lot darker than I had anticipated. The hardest parts of this book are all about the awful things people do to each other. It can be so much worse than anything a monster could do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

pricimdeleon's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Blood

Moderate: Sexual assault and Gaslighting

chipstarlow's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death, Rape, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Minor: Gore, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Forced institutionalization

samanthaleereads's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Pedophilia

underscoresyd's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse

turrean's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A terrifying, thrilling read. There are horror scenes aplenty, but the author also shows us a devastatingly accurate—and equally horrifying—depiction of how sexism and racism distort everything in our society. Some of the most chilling parts of the narrative deal with “real world” societal issues: the men in the story belittle and demean the women they (supposedly) love, and in the process, nearly destroy themselves and their community; doctors, police officers, other town authorities, and plenty of “good” Christian folks are utterly indifferent to a threat to black children. 

I rolled my eyes every time the author referred to a brassiere instead of a bra. Is that a male author thing? Or is that a southern thing?  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail