adorableautist 's review for:

Serious Weakness by Porpentine Charity Heartscape

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Porpentine Charity Heartscape definitely has her finger on the pulse of that nebulous intersection between trauma, queerness, and neurodivergence. She has particular skill for evoking the mental incongruence of being in a brain and body that feels out of step with the world. Her ability to sit with the discomfort of shame and desire that can often follow abuse is what elevates this book above what would have otherwise been yet another self published splatter punk smut novel. This is a decidedly cruel and tasteless book. I wouldn't recommend it to most people, but there are few books in the genre that are this deftly crafted and it's worth your time if the content warnings don't scare you off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Dysphoria