Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Les dangers de fumer au lit by Mariana Enríquez

145 reviews

elwirax's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.5

I genuinely do not understand why this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It also took me way too long to read despite being a short story collection. 

These short stories highlighted many real life horrors in the world such as pedophilia, child trafficking and rape, suicide and self harm. While I tend to enjoy sociopolitical horror, the way certain themes were explored felt less like thoughtful commentary and more like shock value. 

The stories were packed with misogyny and 'kids who come back' used problematic transphobic language. I suppose that this was used as a tool to present bias and prejudice as a horror of the world and highlighted the idea that the narrator's are just as 'monstrous' as the events happening. I am not insinuating that these are the author's beliefs, merely that it can be harmful to readers. 

Overall, not a very good literary horror collection, either in terms of plot or writing. 

Angelita Unearthed: 2 stars
Our Lady of the Quarry:1 star
The Cart: 1 star
The Well: 2.5 stars
Rambla Triste: 2 stars
The Lookout: 2.5 stars
Where are you , dear heart: 1 star
Meat: 2 stars
No birthdays or baptisms: 1 star
Kids who come back: 0.5 star
The dangers of smoking in bed: 1 star
Back when we talked to the dead: 3 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, and Excrement

Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, and Trafficking

sadlytriste's review against another edition

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

4.0

It was my first time reading a collection of short stories and my first horror book, and I found the experience quite enjoyable. Immersing myself in one story at a time was a unique experience, but some of the stories were so compelling that I couldn't resist reading more. It felt like a fantastic foray into the world of horror literature. Mariana Enriquez's writing style is captivating and enthralling, keeping me eagerly anticipating what would happen next with every page turn. Mariana Enriquez skillfully delves into a wide range of themes, including witchcraft, curses, trauma, and forbidden desires.

Among all the stories, "Meat" and "Kids Who Come Back" were my favorites. However, I should note that the stories can be pretty vile, so if you don't like that, you should probably avoid it. Overall, I would rate the collection 4 out of 5.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Murder

passionatelyperusing's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide

goldbs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

_peaseblossom_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide

malineu's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia

Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

crows_and_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Transphobia

paveunpaved's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Not a book with pleasant themes, and not one for the faint-hearted. I really enjoyed how twisted a lot of the stories were, but if you're not a fan of ghost stories then I'd steer clear.

Favourite story: kids who come back

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Pedophilia

Minor: Transphobia

sharkgirl45's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Amazingly spooky and haunting story collection. Every story had me at the very least disconcerted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Blood, Excrement, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and Murder

haylee_reads's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

I love horror, but I don’t think this is my brand of horror. It’s no lie that Enriquez is talented in their craft, but I don’t think I will read anything else they write. These stories all had interesting premises, but the level of gore was just next level and felt unnecessary at times. I also think that every story just ended so abruptly that it really threw me off. I know that’s usually the case with short stories, but it took me a second to realize when each story ended.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail