Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

29 reviews

chasingpages1's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Torture, Cancer, Body horror, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Confinement, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Genocide

Minor: Trafficking, Gun violence, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Infertility, Rape, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

tifftastic87's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Three women loosely related to each other experience the effects of a viral infection that has devastating consequences for humanity. It is so hard to give a synopsis for this book, so maybe just words: queer, apocalypse, eldritch horror, Catholic imagery, biblical angels, feminine rage, cannibalism. 

This definitely made me squirm a couple of times! The descriptions are vivid and full of gore and viscera, including descriptions of taste. So, there's a warning. But what the book has to say about the roles of women in society, their expectations and how they're viewed is so well done. I loved the use of the three POVs from women who were all so strong and all so different. I loved how science was used, the explanation of the virus was so so good. It is hard to say much more without spoiling. The only thing was the ending was a little bit disappointing. But only because I think I wanted just a little bit more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Body horror, Murder, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Medical content, Sexual content, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, and Stalking

Minor: Sexism

heliopteryx's review against another edition

5.0

This book is based on the short story Magdala Amygdala, available free here: https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/magdala-amygdala/

I became interested in the novel version when I heard it described as, "desecration of the feminine, but in a feminist way." And it really is. Some might think the feminist messages are too ham-fisted, but I thought they made sense in the story even if it was a character directly telling the reader what we are supposed to understand from a scene. Such as in part 1, where Erin is telling the reader about going with her friend who was getting an IUD,

and how the friend went into shock during the attempted insertion. The boyfriend didn't go with her, but Erin thinks he should have, so he could see the cost of sex for his girlfriend. Later on in this section, Erin goes with Betty to get an operation to remove the top of her skull so Erin can lick up her cerebrospinal fluid.

The reader is meant to understand these two scenes are the same, and Erin is doing for her girlfriend what the unnamed boyfriend should have done for Erin's friend: be there and hold her hand, witnessing the suffering and devotion. 

When first reading the short story, I was expecting it to be sci fi, but you will enjoy these better if you are expecting fantasy cosmic horror. Compared to the short story, the book does a better job of blending realistic sci fi exposition with the fantastic.

Despite the incredibly gross and disturbing imagery throughout, upon finishing this book, my first thought was, "that was beautiful." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Blood, Cancer, Medical content, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Infertility and Forced institutionalization

kurumipanda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Violence, Murder, Vomit, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Self harm, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual assault and Trafficking

calicodoll's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Sexual content

riotgrrrl92's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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

What starts as a creepy, gory pandemic adventure slowly evolves into an eldritch, lovecraftian Handmaid’s Tale. I wasn’t sure if I liked or loved this book until the last quarter of the novel, and I didn’t know it would be a must-read until the very, very end. The book spends a lot of time setting the stage for us, which is something I struggle with, but can’t fault the book for that when the payoff was so rewarding. The messages are loud and clear, which is sometimes necessary, and it helps that I agree with all of them. Amazing female leads, great queer representation, and some of the most disgusting horror I’ve ever read. I’ll be recommending this to ever queer horror fan I know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Chronic illness, Excrement, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, and Vomit

_meeg's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Self harm, Torture, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, and Vomit

kaiyakaiyo's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

that was. something.

hmm. I would by no means recommend this book to anyone I know BUT the first and last thirds of this book were fascinating. the middle… I could’ve done without it or her perspective; simultaneously deeply depraved yet extremely annoying at the same time. 

i really like cosmic, unknown, uncanny horror and that’s exactly what this delivered on, if a bit more gorily than i would have liked. 

poor nurse allegra, she was who i was really rooting for 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Self harm, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cancer, Cannibalism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Dysphoria

jenabest's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

What the actual Hell did I just read?
 
This was like if Tender is the Flesh, The Book Eaters, Lapvona, & How High We Go in the Dark had a baby.... and that baby had some seriously twisted views on religion. 

This mixed bag of horror really had it all - body horror, cannibalism, cosmic horror, a pandemic, and lots of kink. Seriously - lots of kink for a very unsexy premise. 

I honestly don't know how many people I could recommend this to? But it's fast paced and I guess really fits in with October's Spooky Season reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Murder, Body horror, Cannibalism, Sexual content, and Gore

Moderate: Gun violence, Cancer, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kelisabeth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcohol, Cancer, Rape, Infertility, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Death, Medical content, Trafficking, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Violence