Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Feed Them Silence

Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

12 reviews

snakem's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I did think this book was going to end with

the main character losing her sanity and sacrificing herself to feed the pack,

but I suppose I'm glad it ended quite differently than I expected. A poignant book about the interactions between nature and humans, the ethics of experiments, and the robotic approach to scientific papers. Somehow, although this book was supremely thin and only a little over a hundred pages, it took me over two weeks to read. It's a bit of a dense slog.

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sakisreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was looking for something short and sweet; I definitely got the former 😂

The intimacy Sean and Kate encapsulated felt incredibly human and I couldn’t stop reading 😳

IMAGINE A HUMAN AND A WOLF BRAIN LINKING UP LIKE THAT!

I also thoroughly appreciated Riya’s honesty. I know I’ve been Riya before so to watch her go through her and Sean’s relationship was difficult but necessary ❤️

I’ll be thinking about this book for a while I think. 4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨

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lizardgod's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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scifi_rat's review

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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readingpicnic's review

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3.75

Failing sapphic marriages in books make me sooo sad (similar to Our Wives Under the Sea). This story posed very interesting questions about ethics, conservation, and intimacy. The main character was genuinely so morally gray, and I did NOT support most of her behaviors, but my discomfort and disgust with her actions and thoughts also intrigued me. You can see her growth throughout the story as she learns the cost of her selfishness with her work project and her ambivalence towards and unappreciation of her wife. Their relationship was so complicated but felt very real. It gave me hope that after everything, they were still working on it, even though they had both made mistakes and had miscommunications. The wolf scenes were so visceral and strange, but also cool. I could definitely see this type of scenario posed by the book taking place in real life where a big corporation funds something like this in order to monetize it to the masses as a VR experience. What a trip.

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eegekay's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was filled with tension, and the level of familial bonding Sean felt with Kate (her wolf) was quite intense. It was really fascinating to witness Sean approaching Kate— I felt my heart racing right along hers. I found that I wanted Sean’s imagined connection to be as real as she believed it to be. It broke my heart to read Sean longing for the intimacy of a pack; Mandelo described the multifaceted family dynamics beautifully. The parallels drawn between Sean seeking relationships with her wolves and her own failing romantic relationship were striking, and I could feel the pain Sean was experiencing deeply. Overall, I rated this book five stars because it captured the emotional turmoil of wanting to belong to something bigger than you can ever imagine perfectly. The angst and desperation Sean felt was gnawing at me too. Now I’m going to have to give Mandelo’s other works a shot!

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bikelpie's review

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A great commentary on the affects of both intentional and unintentional exploitative human nature. An analysis of the different ways a person can be selfish even in the name of selflessness, and how even the best intentions are never truly good if there is an anticipated reward. I enjoyed the almost demand for introspection after finishing the book. Very well done.

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starrysteph's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A bleak & distressing journey into the near-future that felt a bit like a Black Mirror episode (though not quite as tech-y).

We follow Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon, a work-obsessed researcher who is intent on bridging the gap between humans and animals. Her newest project uses advanced neuroscience to translate the live perception of a wolf through her own eyes (she’s always been fascinated by wolves & is hoping to protect one of the last remaining wild packs). But between her greedy VC funders and her strained relationship with her wife, her world is teetering on the edge of ruin.

It’s a sad tale from start to finish. Mandelo’s characters waver ethically, hurt each other, and challenge their humanity & their empathy for the world around them.

Sean is not particularly likable - she’s not a good partner and doesn’t feel motivated to change that, she’s so blinded by her curiosity that she doesn’t critically consider who is funding her project, her desire to be close with wolves overrides any consideration of animal ethics, and so on. But her fascination and attachment to the wolves was incredibly compelling. And the foil of the one-sided relationship between Sean and her wolf and Sean and her wife was very well-done!

Feed Them Silence both challenges academia and eerily captures human greed for knowledge without care of who it may hurt or destroy. It’s a look at intimacy and selfishness and greed and obsession.

I think the limits could have been pushed further; I was ready to be repulsed by more weirdness. I also had very mixed feelings about the ending. But I was definitely immersed in this uneasy little story.

CW: animal cruelty & animal death, animal medical experimentation, medical content, grief, blood, gore, vomit, injury, violence, infidelity, racism, sexism

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

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keenanmaree's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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