Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Devourers by Indra Das

23 reviews

haylee_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.5

I…did not really like this and that’s all I am gonna say. I honestly kind of regret pushing through and finishing this one. I should have DNF’d.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Excrement, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body horror, Sexual violence, and Violence

gardensnail's review

dark sad medium-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? Yes

2.25

This book made me mad. It is a beautiful piece of prose that tells a horrid story. There are glimpses of what this book could have been in that prose: a romance, a thriller, a story told entirely in letter. But none of these it accomplishes well. By Part 6, I was exhausted; already having known who the mysterious man was. The other narrator, Alok, waswas as similarly uninteresting. Neither Alok nor the mysterious man felt like real characters of their own. They were superceded by the other bits of the story. 

This, to me, was the most egregious. There were moments in the book where I felt I understood what the author was trying to say. Both Alok and the Half-man are outsiders for some innate quality, born out of and into a violent world that is against them, to parents they have complex and distant relationships with. Their coupling felt detached and distant. I wanted so badly in those moments to wish there was romance in it. But there wasn't, and there won't be. It filled me with incredible sadness. The very last pages are the worst, sealing it as a tragedy. I would be hesitant to describe this book in terms of its flirtation with

transgenderism; but Alok's inability to not only come to terms with his sexuality, but also gender identity and/or expression is crippling when we only learn about them in the last few pages.

I wish it were not so. But again, it is the finality of this book. There are no good conclusions, and no happy endings. It goes in and out. 

I can't say its a bad book. Or that I would never recommend it. Again, the prose is unlike anything I've read before. However, it is a book that I will likely never want to read again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Cannibalism, Violence, Murder, and Rape

smoothlikebutter's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Body horror, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Death, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence

Queer werewolves

mle11's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Violence, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Animal death, Rape, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Biphobia, Excrement, Homophobia, Vomit, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Kidnapping, and Self harm

Minor: Colonisation and Drug use

ssjd411's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Beautifully written and very dark. The story held my attention even as it got darker and more violent. The character development is so rich that it pulls you through the death and destruction. It's like nothing I've read before, and it will stay with me for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Stalking, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Excrement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cannibalism

scarroll178's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The writing is visceral and descriptive. I really enjoyed the unique characters and the strange tale they weave together. It’s so brutal and tender all at once.

The writing style is sometimes confusing, and there were a few sentences I had to go back and read over again. But this book is definitely worth the effort 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

belladonnashrike's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I looooved this, loved the writing. very lush prose and a gorgeous story about transformation, trauma, love, & humanity. it gave me interview with the vampire vibes almost immediately and much like that story, this didn’t disappoint! I adore stories about the intersection of humanity and the supernatural and this really encapsulates everything I love about that sort of narrative.

I wish some things were explored more,

such as Alok’s relationship with his ex and the significance of gender - gender is so important in this novel and i wish it was spoken about more at the beginning,

but I really enjoyed this nonetheless. I think the author handled the (very) rough topics well and I love the transformation allegory so much - also extremely well done. 

I loved Alok and Cyrah (especially her, I adore her) so much. they felt so real to me and I just want to know more about them, but this shouldn’t be a series. I like where the stories were left.

I often skim reviews before reading a book, and I read multiple times about how (summarizing) gory and gross this book is but it honestly felt very tame. yes there’s entrails and sinew and blood but it wasn’t as much as I was led to believe. am I the weird one? there IS a lot of piss imagery but it’s about a werewolf-type of creature. they’re dogs. they are territorial. it makes sense! 

anyway, I was really bewitched by this book. i’ve had it sitting on my shelf for years and just never picked it up for some reason but I’m so glad I finally read it!

additionally: I often read the acknowledgements and all the extra stuff at the end of books and I was very pleasantly surprised with the final lines in das’ acknowledgements. very indicative of their character and I do appreciate this inclusion.

content warnings in moderate tag bc i’m lazy

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Rape, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Vomit

sammysamsam's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Murder, Body horror, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Vomit, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Self harm

Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia

tahsintries's review

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Murder, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Body horror, and Misogyny

Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia

triforcefusion's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.25

This was a very, very odd read. I applaud the writing, and the mythology building. I could do without the very Freudian psycho-sexual aspect that permeates the book, especially the practice

of the Devourers grooming their newly made, or born, shapeshifters into then having a sexual relationship</spolier>. I also have a hard time with the author identifying as a cis male and writing about a woman's sexual assault and then making the whole book a metaphor for

transgenderism

. I see that people praise the way he handles it, but I felt like the metaphor is really twisted an dark, and the

transgender reveal

feels like "Oh, this kinda fits" without considering the unredeemable nature of the Devourers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Vomit

Piss and urination happens a lot