Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Strange Bird by Jeff VanderMeer

9 reviews

rainstar's review against another edition

dark sad

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Torture, and Violence

u53rn4m's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Grief, and Torture

scytheria's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture

Moderate: Grief and Confinement

Minor: Child abuse

valjeanval's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

A beautiful extension of the Borne universe. It’s Vandermeer at his best with weird and wonderful prose and complex perspective taking. While it’s mostly peripheral to the original novel, I wouldn’t read it without having read Borne. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Torture, Violence, Animal death, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Medical trauma

bedtimesnack's review against another edition

challenging mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This story was heartbreaking and thought-provoking. It challenged me to think about animals in a different way. The story might stand on its own okay, but it's meant as a companion novella to Borne. I would read Borne before this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Cannibalism and Torture

cursivewolf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely beautiful. I adore the Strange Bird. A gorgeous tragic creature. Weeping towards the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Stalking, Medical trauma, Medical content, and War

saint_eleanor's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This is such a beautiful story of loss and hope and love told in such a brutal and unforgiving landscape, from the perspective of lab experiment bird. It feels old and new at the same time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Torture

bakerreads's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Slavery, Confinement, Medical trauma, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Blood

carmexfiend's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

A good and short read. It wasn't as compelling or hitting as Borne but was still enjoyable. You learn more about the world and see it from a new perspective. Characters and events from the Borne are shown and some gaps are filled. Overall, what I liked the most about Borne was how attached I got to the characters and this book doesn't really have that going for it. I'd still recommend it if you enjoyed Borne or like to read non-human POVs.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Body horror and Torture

There are several scenes where sapient animals are experimented on and one scene where a character is surgically mutilated without anesthesia.