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A review by dcnireads
Near the Bone by Christina Henry
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
i usually dont do well with books that have less but beefy chapters, but ooh boy this was journey and i have to say i was invested almost right from the beginning. meeting mattie and being horrified by her current state to getting skin crawls as her real background slowly unfolds? chills. the back and forth "dialogue" and way of thinking as she switches between mattie and samantha's separate ways of thinking and seeing how both sides dealt with their situation internally? honestly excellent.
watching sam suffer through william's abuse and seeing her come to terms with what she lost because of him and how he affected her in many ways--especially after she escaped him--was heartbreaking. but at the same time, i admired how she refused to let the damage that he'd done dictate her fate and her future, and that no matter what he did to break her, sam was still there deep down, and she never lost her spirit. from beggining to end, she was a true fighter and it paid off for her in a satsifying way and that's what i'm fucking here for. plus, i loved the contrast of how sam dealt with trauma, danger and pain in a way that C.P. and the others couldn't, and how she was able to use her experiences and endurance for things like that to help them survive. it was a good way to show the definition of "pain makes you stronger" and i actually liked that.
i also liked the twist of there being two monsters who were actually parent and child, and how that explained why the mother only attacked the weakest and most vulnerable out of desire to protect its offspring. that was pretty clever. i do wish the "sorting" and "warning" behaviors of the cryptids were given more elaboration, and i think the last moment with them was a bit anti-climactic, but i have no other complaints. it was scary, imposing, unique and overall a pretty great creature feature.
i definitely got hooked on this one a bit more than i expected. the atmosphere was so eerie and intense, and every moment of danger [whether with william or the monsters] was quite thrilling and harrowing at the same time, to a point where i don't even mind that the final confrontation was kinda underwhelming. i'm just glad sam and C.P. made it out alive, and it felt cathartic that sam ended up being the one to end william's nasty ass. that along with the final paragraph and line of the book is enough to make this one is a strong 4.25 stars.
i usually dont do well with books that have less but beefy chapters, but ooh boy this was journey and i have to say i was invested almost right from the beginning. meeting mattie and being horrified by her current state to getting skin crawls as her real background slowly unfolds? chills. the back and forth "dialogue" and way of thinking as she switches between mattie and samantha's separate ways of thinking and seeing how both sides dealt with their situation internally? honestly excellent.
watching sam suffer through william's abuse and seeing her come to terms with what she lost because of him and how he affected her in many ways--especially after she escaped him--was heartbreaking. but at the same time, i admired how she refused to let the damage that he'd done dictate her fate and her future, and that no matter what he did to break her, sam was still there deep down, and she never lost her spirit. from beggining to end, she was a true fighter and it paid off for her in a satsifying way and that's what i'm fucking here for. plus, i loved the contrast of how sam dealt with trauma, danger and pain in a way that C.P. and the others couldn't, and how she was able to use her experiences and endurance for things like that to help them survive. it was a good way to show the definition of "pain makes you stronger" and i actually liked that.
i also liked the twist of there being two monsters who were actually parent and child, and how that explained why the mother only attacked the weakest and most vulnerable out of desire to protect its offspring. that was pretty clever. i do wish the "sorting" and "warning" behaviors of the cryptids were given more elaboration, and i think the last moment with them was a bit anti-climactic, but i have no other complaints. it was scary, imposing, unique and overall a pretty great creature feature.
i definitely got hooked on this one a bit more than i expected. the atmosphere was so eerie and intense, and every moment of danger [whether with william or the monsters] was quite thrilling and harrowing at the same time, to a point where i don't even mind that the final confrontation was kinda underwhelming. i'm just glad sam and C.P. made it out alive, and it felt cathartic that sam ended up being the one to end william's nasty ass. that along with the final paragraph and line of the book is enough to make this one is a strong 4.25 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Death of parent