rrmonroe's reviews
52 reviews

Rites of Extinction by Matt Serafini

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This novel is immediately engaging with it's creepy mystery and hellbent heroine, but the foreboding horror quickly slips into the realm of fantasy, which may be off-putting for readers preferring a more grounded narrative.

Also, this is one of those novels that is very clearly written by a straight man, despite the pov character being a woman. There is one scene that is particularly misogynistic towards young women. 

Regarding diversity of the cast, only one character is explicitly POC. No other characters have racial discriptions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I first heard of this novel from it's reputation for being extremely disturbing, and it most certainly is, but the real heart of the story is the profound sadness of the main character and his attempt to live with the collective trauma of society and his personal losses. The writing is beautiful at times and brutal at others. If you can stomach the cruelty of the premise, this is a haunting and sad book that is worth a read. Be sure to look up trigger warnings for the book, because cannibalism and experimentation on humans is not the only troubling material in this novel.