Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

85 reviews

eden_briar's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was absolutely amazing. Set in the 90’s, a book club made up of five Southern housewives in the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina finds themselves defending their families and homes from a new evil that’s cast itself into every part of their lives. I was NOT expecting some of the things that happened to actually happen and when I did read them I was slightly horrified. Since it does take place in the 90’s, there were a lot of topics and discussions that are still relevant to today, just a lot stronger. PLEASE be very careful reading this book because I was not aware about the potential triggers in this book going into it since I didn’t read reviews, but i still enjoyed it nonetheless thankfully. It was a really emotional story with a rather happy and slightly satisfying ending. Moral of the story: don’t mess with southern women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Gore, Medical trauma, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Racism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty

fullybookedkatie's review

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Very anticlimatic ending tbh but such a compelling read and one I wont forget for a while. As a Southern female, I enjoyed a lot of the dialogue and small jokes too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gore, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity and Kidnapping

scarlettreadsbooks's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, and Murder

Hun

brysonsmommie84's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I was so excited to read this. I’ve built it up for a year and I finally got to it. That was a mistake… Maybe I will update this later and make it more coherent, but for now I have wasted enough hours of my life finishing this book. Yes, finishing, all of it. Why? Because I stupidly thought it has to get better. 
I just feel sick. This book makes me so angry…

Husbands telling wives:
“The girls have something to say” 
“shake hands like a fucking adult” 
being forced to apologize… these are your wives… educated wives… the children are also treated like this. Carter is the worst character of all time! Worse than the “vampire”. 

Patricia is concerned about child molestation and you are all fucking protecting the stranger, because he has money and penis. Fuck these characters. Fuck this book. Fuck this author. They better all be under a fucking spell. 

BTW child molestation big trigger! Lots of child rape… by an old dirty “vampire”. Too detailed. Children dying/suicides. Kids killing dogs, because they have been “left under a spell”. More Rape, burning people alive… At least the racism and “classism” were finally called out, I guess… 

I will never give this author another try. The other authors that take flak for the misogyny and patriarchy in their books is bullshit in comparison and this author is being praised for this book. Fuck that shit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Classism, Child death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Blood, Suicide, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Racism, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

wickedgrumpy's review

slow-paced

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

2.0

This book made me so uncomfortable at points because the writing is very visceral.  The fact that there is a time jump made everything so much worse.

I’m glad that I read it because I was interested in reading a few books by this author but I don’t think they will be for me after all.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Animal death, Classism, Gaslighting, Gore, Terminal illness, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Bullying, Chronic illness, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Violence

emmmapayne's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Sexual violence, Murder, Blood, Child death, Death, Chronic illness, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Racism, and Medical content

Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty

decie's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I have so many issues with this book, but I was slipping into a reading slump before I started reading and it pulled me back. and kept me up until 2am because I couldn't put it down. (REALLY hated the [spoiler and tw:

rape

] plot at the end though.)

it reminded me of the show good girls, but a southern 90s version with a vampire. couldn't stop picturing the main character as beth. do with that what you will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, and Terminal illness

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Forced institutionalization

karleywestra's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Child death, Animal death, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Classism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Murder

camo_mila's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

I liked the book. I had a fun time reading and I loved the female characters. The only problem for me was the skip of time of three years, I think it broke the pace quite a bit and it was quite abrupt. I would prefer the story to continue flowing instead of making the characters freeze in time to then have a growing opportunity. 

The ending wasn't my fave too, not that it was bad or anything, but not as interesting I guess, I expected more of the ending. But I had a enjoyable time so no regrets

Also fyi having sexist and racist characters on a book doesn't mean by proxy that the book is that, even more when it's fully criticizing the characters for it, all the damn time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual violence, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, Gore, Violence, Pedophilia, Murder, Suicide, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism

apestforwrens's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Grady Hendrix always makes you think with his writing. Sometimes that thought is " I wouldn't have made that narrative decision" and sometimes that thought is "this is a super creative take on the vampire story".
Hendrix is fantastic at pulling you into his main character's head and forcing you to see why they are reacting to their situation the way they are. This is a horror book and contains some potentially upsetting stuff. I'd definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings before starting if you're worried about that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Classism, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Vomit, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Dementia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Violence, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Medical content, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, and Drug abuse