Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

34 reviews

boyinajar's review against another edition

dark funny sad fast-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

5.0

what a masterclass in unreliable narration! very raw, sticky prose. deeply involved character work. incredibly vivid imagery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Gore, Cursing, Death of parent, Animal death, Sexual content, Alcohol, Addiction, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexism, Cancer, Child abuse, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

whenmalanereads's review

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I started this book on Libby by reading it and then I had to finish it via audio book. I have to say it is better in audio book format. However the book is just so so. None of the characters have personalities and I found it hard to connect with any of them. Maybe that's the point. To not connect with any of them. I don't know. It felt like nothing actually ever happened and family drama is kind of annoying throughout the plot. None of the characters speak to each other. They just drink and assume problems get solved that way. It was just a weird that didn't have an actual point it seemed. There were some resolutions, but not many. It also just felt selfish and the main character was annoying. The best character/s were the teenagers. Lolee and Bastien. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Suicide, Alcoholism, Blood, and Cancer

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Grief, Animal death, and Gore

Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Suicide, Vomit, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Blood, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

ambswylie's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I never knew how to feel while reading this book. I was grossed out, intrigued, saddened and angry, but also hopeful. So many big feelings and unhealthy coping mechanisms. I felt seen and understood. I love this book so much and recommend it to everyone who needs a sad sapphic novel about dead things

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Sexual content

vvabecca's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

Very good but oi

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Torture, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Drug abuse, Lesbophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

h3art's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

it's crazy how I thought this book wouldn't literally rip and tear me by the emotional seems with the swampy, Florida nostalgia 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Gore, and Terminal illness

Minor: Vomit

sgrunwald96's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

A sad and thoughtful book in a ridiculous, funny setting. Dark and hard at times but you find yourself rooting for the characters and hurting for them in turn. I also learned a lot about taxidermy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicide, and Animal death

Moderate: Alcoholism

grey_jayne's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Mostly Dead Things is beautiful in its fuckedupness and authentically queer. The taxidermy details and animal hard could be too intense for some. Totally not my usual kind of book, but in some ways it very much is, as indicated by the above. This book is such a strong debut.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicide, Infidelity, Gore, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

ruffian23's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gore, and Animal death

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

nolalee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.25

One part taxidermist field guide, three parts dysfunctional family.
Mostly Dead Things is a story that opens in Florida with a third generation taxidermist, Jessa-Lynn Morton, dealing with her current lot in life. Her father's suicide, her mother's grief, and her own abandonment by the woman she loved. This book is a beautifully sweet, darkly funny, and empathetic (albeit cringe inducing) journey of finding oneself again after tragedy. 
The writing is equally elegant and down right gross. Who knew you could have an existential moment as Arnett describes skinning an alligator! Overall, I adored this book and all of it's difficult self discovery journey. There are moments when I wanted to jump through the pages and smack some sense into Jessa and the whole Morton family. But that's life isn't it?
"We spent so much time looking for pieces of ourselves in other people that we never realized they were busy searching for the same things in us."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Gore

a_wren_that_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Pregnancy and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cancer, Vomit, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Terminal illness