Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

177 reviews

nimeneth's review

dark fast-paced

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

Warning: do not read this book unless your stomach is iron-clad, or you're okay with skipping big chunks of pages. Seriously, pay attention to the tags.

I wanted to be kind to this book. I wanted to accept that this was going to be a difficult book club read that was gritty and uncomfortable and dark. The blurb was amazing, had a great hook, interesting title, the whole nine yards. Objectively the dialogue was a little flat and the characters felt a little wooden at the beginning, but it would get better, right? I would get through this even if I had to skim or skip scenes, it would be fine, right? Right??? I was optimistic. I was open-minded.

I did not like this book. I did not enjoy this book. The first 100ish pages were fine, mostly. I could accept the racism and homophobia as just part of what it's like in parts of Virginia. The middle is where it started to sour. I especially did not like the last 100 pages of it where it turned into full-on revenge porn. It's graphic, folks. There's no art, just blood. No redemption arc, just death. I think Cosby wanted the final scene to be profound or something, but by that point there's no tying it up into a near little package and calling it hunky-dory.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Blood, Murder, Misogyny, Gun violence, Racism, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Deadnaming and Cancer

jan1955's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

S.A. Cosby is a master storyteller! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Violence

jessbslide's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is my second SA Cosby book, and wow does he know how to pull you in and keep you going. These characters were so real, and human. It’s a story of painful love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

vanhalenreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

5.0

"But time was a river made of quicksilver. It slipped through his grasp even as it enveloped him."

I swear it's like 5 star reads are the hardest to write reviews for. I never know exactly how to articulate my feelings on books that affect me so deeply. One thing I know for certain though: you need to read this book. S.A. Cosby writes grief and loss in such a way that you start to feel like you're grieving these fictional people, too. Beautiful prose, a beautiful story, and beautifully flawed individuals coming together to do something that should have been impossible. I love Ike and Bobby Lee so much. Frankly I'm a little sad it's over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Blood, Homophobia, Death, Violence, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Murder

nneka23's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

This was a really enjoyable fast-paced read. The narration in the audiobook is really well done and helped me become fully immersed in the story. An exploration of grief, fatherhood, and masculinity all enveloped in a story of vengeance (but really, redemption). There were some points where I wasn’t sure if things would end the way I expected, and I love that I couldn’t predict every single plot point! Very emotional at times while funny at others, I definitely felt like I knew the characters by the end. And speaking of the end, those last few lines were so poignant. The final line is especially impeccable writing. Crosby certainly knows how to hook a reader and keep them engaged with the way he uses words. This story is so steeped in a southern atmosphere, you’d think you were actually there. Truly enjoyed this audiobook - hats off to Crosby and the narrator! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, Racism, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Blood, Grief, Murder, Hate crime, Gore, Cursing, and Homophobia

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Cancer

There are definitely some very violent scenes. The descriptions during those scenes are very detailed so if you’re squeamish, keep that in mind.

hankatcol's review

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Kidnapping, Blood, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Racial slurs, Car accident, Violence, Homophobia, and Torture

jakirby's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cursing, Abandonment, Homophobia, Murder, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Racism, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Transphobia, and Violence

jwatson9030's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Child abuse, Classism, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Blood, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Bullying, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Medical content

fungirlreads's review

dark tense fast-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

4.5

Not my usual genre but I enjoyed it. The storytelling was grittier than I expected but it added intensity to the plot. 

I deducted half a star bc there is a decision made by Ike's wife that doesn't make sense given their history. It's a dumb choice that wouldn't be made by the wife of a street-saavy, murderous, ex-con. She should have been smarter than that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Transphobia, Car accident, Cursing, Alcoholism, Grief, and Homophobia

aminayuy's review

adventurous dark tense fast-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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Gore, Gun violence, and Blood