barelyalex's Reviews (49)

Boxer, Beetle

Ned Beauman

3.5

Camera Lucida

Roland Barthes

4.0

The Discomfort of Evening

Lucas Rijneveld

5.0

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Haunting, there were parts that cut through me. real and important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Convenience Store Woman

Sayaka Murata

4.0

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Dead Inside

Chandler Morrison

3.5

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, Murder, Pregnancy

Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent

A Short Stay in Hell

Steven L. Peck

5.0

dark emotional reflective 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: Complicated

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So engrossing that I specifically chose to read this because it was short but immediately wish it were longer.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Flesh and Blood

Andrew Shanahan

4.0

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content

Before and After

Andrew Shanahan

4.0

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body horror, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Alcohol

A Fig for All the Devils

C.S. Fritz

4.75

dark funny

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Poetically dark subtle horror

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Murder