contre_qui 's review for:

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

4.5

dark

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This is such a great collection. Carter's grasp of perspective and tense is incredibly strong; each story has the perfect combination of both to create an incredibly compelling narration and character. Her word choice is beautiful - it's really just something else. Reading these stories is enjoyable, they just feel good to your brain. And the plots are interesting and engaging. Some are horror, others are not. All are reimaginings of fairytales and/or folklore figures (such as vampires and werewolves). I highly highly recommend. Many of these contain sexual content and themes, as well as dark sexuality, erotic horror, etc. So be advised this a collection most appropriate for adults.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Sexual content

Minor: Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Murder

Many of these stories are erotic horror and teeter on the edge of sexual violence, or at least use sexuality as a vehicle to display control and domination over another person. Many of the girls in these stories are quite young - early adulthood or late-ish teens, mostly as a way to reveal and call out the power imbalance in so many of the fairytales common in Western culture. These elements are present, and they are meant to disturb, but they are not intended to condone these behaviors. Many of these are horror stories. Keep that in mind.