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Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'
Girls of Little Hope by Sam Beckbessinger, Dale Halvorsen
5 reviews
leelaamanda's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Religious bigotry
grunbean's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A book that can’t be put down. I think as expecting a spooky and quirky story - I picked this up near the YA section of my local bookstore. It is SO much more than that.
I’m not sure how to summarise it. You NEED to read it yourself if you’re at all into mysteries and horror and the dread of growing up. It is gore galore, so it could be a bit much for those who don’t have much of a stomach for that.
I dearly wish this combination of authors will collaborate again!
I’m not sure how to summarise it. You NEED to read it yourself if you’re at all into mysteries and horror and the dread of growing up. It is gore galore, so it could be a bit much for those who don’t have much of a stomach for that.
I dearly wish this combination of authors will collaborate again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Death, Drug use, Medical content, Gore, Grief, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Bullying, Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Outing, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Abortion
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- 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
Have you ever read a book that was both eerie and grotesque, yet soo utterly fascinating you were unable to put it down? Well, that’s what Girls of Little Hope was for me— a fabulously weird and unexpectedly compelling YA Horror from writing duo Sam Beckbessinger and Dale Halvorsen. Which perfectly captures the anxiety, angst and (relatable) growing pains of adolescence, but with a much needed (and surprisingly bloody) supernatural twist that’s guaranteed to keep even the most seasoned Horror fans on their toes.
Set in a small California town during the 1990s, Girls of Little Hope follows the mystery and aftermath of the disappearance of three girls (Donna, Rae and Kat) and the strange circumstances surrounding Donna and Rae’s return three days later: naked, covered in blood and with no memory of what happened…
I loved every deliciously creepy second of this! I’m not usually a huge Horror reader, but the atmospheric and expertly detailed, small town setting (complete with sinister undercurrent) and compelling, misfit characters had me utterly hooked.
Donna, the first character we’re introduced to is portrayed as quite impulsive and the most vocal of the trio but her sense of loyalty, compassion and long hidden vulnerabilities really made her one of my favourite characters.
Rae, our other “survivor” is resident ‘good girl’ who comes from a respectable, church going family who’s perceived perfection and conservative values have forced Rae into a suffocating state of repression and self loathing that was truly heart breaking to watch unravel.
Kat, our amateur sleuth and budding journalist is the only character whose POV is told via journal entries which really added a sense of intimacy and allowed us to explore their deep bond of friendship in such exquisite detail.
We also get to explore Kat’s mum Marybeth’s POV, whose complicated mother-daughter relationship juxtaposes perfectly with Kat’s innermost thoughts and really captures the flaws and nuances that really make up this fascinating, formidable and surprisingly three dimensional supporting character.
As well as Kat’s diary entries, we’re also treated to newspaper articles and Riot Grrl-esque ‘Zine pages, which cleverly immerses us in the history of Little Hope, its supernatural goings on and the angsty 90s high school experience without the pace slowing down or becoming too info dumpy.
I can’t say much else without spoiling the plot but, if you love shockingly twisty, House of Hollow meets Stranger Things style Horror, or books that scream “We are the weirdos mister”, then you definitely need to add this to your TBR just check TWs beforehand.
Also, a huge thank you to Kabriya over at Titan Books for the incredible proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Self harm, Animal death, Body horror, Fatphobia, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Lesbophobia, Confinement, Racism, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Grief, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
lily_peach's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Gore, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Violence
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
A parent gives their child diet pills, extreme body horrorsharron_joy_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Published 13th June 2023 by Titan
Donna, the rebel, Rae, the good girl and Kat, the budding writer are best friends, it is them against their very close minded boring little town of Little Hope, California.
They decide to hike into the woods in search of the fabled gold mine of Little Hope and days later Donna and Rae stumble into town, both covered in blood and naked, what happened to them and where is Kat.
Do the survivors know more than they are saying? What happened in the hidden cave deep in the wood? Does the resident returned murderer know what is going on?
This is a brilliant horror mystery and short chapters make this a fast paced thrilling read. The story unfolds through multiple POV’s and secrets are dripped through the story to keep you reading, loved that!
The story is set in the 90’s and it has a very nostalgic feel to it, the music, the posters on the walls, the clothes, all evoking that era. The book includes pictures of newspaper clippings, news reports and pages of the girls zine, I love this device in books and it gives the story a perspective outside of the characters involved and how the world will consume their story.
There some really heavy issues raised here, Rae’s ultra conservative religious family and her reaction to this, Donna’s grief and Kat’s over protective mother. But at heart it is a story of the power of female friendship especially in teen girls and how intense and all consuming that can be.
The horror really kicks in at the halfway mark and is visceral and grisly. There is a YA horror that has a similar theme to this but this is far more detailed and complex, a far more rounded story where you feel you really know the girls, their families, their community and the small town they live in.
This is a really fantastic read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I received this E-ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Death of parent, Body horror, and Death
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