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donna_fay's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It really brought me into that world, I felt dry and hot while reading it, sick and nauseous at other times. The story really captivated me and how it questioned morals and physiology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Abandonment and Alcoholism
kmparsons's review
2.0
2.75/5 stars. The Butcher blends several genres into one novel, sometimes it worked well and sometimes it did not. This book was a very fast an engaging read; I truly did not feel bored once while reading this novel. That being said, some aspects of the plot really did not seem fleshed out. Events occurred so quickly that if you blinked, you would miss them. The romance was incredibly rushed and unfulfilling. The main character could be insufferable at times. There were so many parts of this book in which the main character would ask “why do we live like this?” And the answers would always be “that’s just the way it is,” or “it’s illegal to ask that.” These answers felt like serious cop outs from the author. Rather than explain anything, she just came up with laws that seemed to have no purpose.
Lastly, the overarching theme seemed to be forgiveness. But why? That word was used so much that it lost all meaning by the end of the book and we were still left not knowing what it truly meant in this context.
Overall, this was a fast-paced horror/western/dystopia novel. It was an easy read and had some gory scenes, but it lacked in other areas.
Lastly, the overarching theme seemed to be forgiveness. But why? That word was used so much that it lost all meaning by the end of the book and we were still left not knowing what it truly meant in this context.
Overall, this was a fast-paced horror/western/dystopia novel. It was an easy read and had some gory scenes, but it lacked in other areas.
willjohnsonwork's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
2.0
Eh, didn’t really like the main characters and thought the world building had more potential than the plot.
draiochta's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
humblebee20's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book so bad, but I couldn't. The premise is promising, the first part reeled me in, and then it all kind of fell in on itself. The book was 316 pages and read like a YA novel, and I think these were the keys to its downfall. The concept of being the butcher is so cool, and yet, more time is spent in the courtroom than the "depot" where she does her job. This book didn't need to be this long, or this sappy. The character is strong willed and I would love to have seen her struggles to become the butcher in part two, but instead we get a half-baked love plot and a time jump. The only interesting aspect of the book's premise is tossed aside so we can hear the narrator talk to the dad people in her head over and over again, with the very repetitive pattern of "man this sucks" "it sure does my girl". That and the constant "what if and what ever and why not" the author sprinkles in every ten pages. The book feel scared to ever delve too deep into anything and was a let down as a result. If it had been shorter with some of the fat trimmed, I think I would have enjoyed it more, but I really wish wee got to see more of the horror that was promised and not just the other villagers looking sad, until the end where everyone just kind of changes their minds. It felt rushed, unrealistic, and out of character for almost everyone. Good concept, poor execution (ironically).
hannah42's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
samanthaalis's review
dark
tense
slow-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
4.0
This book gave me 1984 vibes, which I enjoyed. I'll admit it had a slow start and didn't pick up until part 2 (110 pages in) but once Lady Mae became The Butcher I was loving it.
I picked up this book expecting wild west horror but instead got wild west dystopian horror with lots of emotion and important message and lessons.
I picked up this book expecting wild west horror but instead got wild west dystopian horror with lots of emotion and important message and lessons.
cursedreading's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
siantaylor27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
barefootmegz's review
4.0
The Butcher has been compared to [b:The Lottery|6219656|The Lottery|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348757577l/6219656._SY75_.jpg|15161007] with good reason: it presents a stark, horrifying picture of the cruelty of humans. But unlike The Lottery, we know from the beginning - in fact, from the title - that the world of the butcher and co is not an idyllic one; that darkness and pain do not lurk beneath the veneer of a pastoral life - they stalk like a rabid dog.
I am not a horror fan, but folk-horror tends to draw me in. Call it morose perversion, masochism, or schadenfreude - whatever it is, it has a horrifying magnetism.
The complexity of the butcher-role created by author Laura Kat Young is commendable. The butcher (the person) is condemned to their lot. They must accept their lot, as all others in their world must, too. Their work is cruel, but they are not cruel. The butcher then becomes a confessional, as well as a repository for everything that the townspeople hate about their world. Because the townsfolk cannot rebel against those in power, they instead abuse the person who must execute the word of their superiors.
Because The Butcher is a full-length novel (as opposed to The Lottery) there is more room for character development. The butcher gets to question her life and her work. She gets to spend time feeling and thinking. She gets to have a turning point. We get to form an opinion: we get to decide if we like or dislike her; if we would do things differently in her situation.
What I miss in this novel is the metaphor: what is Young really comparing to the atonement of body parts? Her novel is surely about more than derision of punitive systems. She begins to address forgiveness, but does not delve deeply enough to form a picture of its importance, and what a world with forgiveness might look like. What is it, exactly, that the townspeople have forgotten? What is it that brought a kind of Marshall Law which never lifted? There is a hint of religious parallel, but it is never fully committed.
The Butcher, though it could actually be longer, is a stirring depiction of grief and growth. And, like The Lottery, I can’t quite get it out of my head.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.
I am not a horror fan, but folk-horror tends to draw me in. Call it morose perversion, masochism, or schadenfreude - whatever it is, it has a horrifying magnetism.
The complexity of the butcher-role created by author Laura Kat Young is commendable. The butcher (the person) is condemned to their lot. They must accept their lot, as all others in their world must, too. Their work is cruel, but they are not cruel. The butcher then becomes a confessional, as well as a repository for everything that the townspeople hate about their world. Because the townsfolk cannot rebel against those in power, they instead abuse the person who must execute the word of their superiors.
Because The Butcher is a full-length novel (as opposed to The Lottery) there is more room for character development. The butcher gets to question her life and her work. She gets to spend time feeling and thinking. She gets to have a turning point. We get to form an opinion: we get to decide if we like or dislike her; if we would do things differently in her situation.
What I miss in this novel is the metaphor: what is Young really comparing to the atonement of body parts? Her novel is surely about more than derision of punitive systems. She begins to address forgiveness, but does not delve deeply enough to form a picture of its importance, and what a world with forgiveness might look like. What is it, exactly, that the townspeople have forgotten? What is it that brought a kind of Marshall Law which never lifted? There is a hint of religious parallel, but it is never fully committed.
The Butcher, though it could actually be longer, is a stirring depiction of grief and growth. And, like The Lottery, I can’t quite get it out of my head.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.