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its_kievan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
2.0
Well written in parts, but tonally incoherent. Iglesias clearly had something to say, either about race in America or about the cycle of violence, but any move towards capital-T Themes would be abruptly ruined by the awkward horror/crime plot. The narration was weirdly disaffected, including such highlights as a man musing about God’s existence for a hundred pages and then utterly failing to react to unambiguous proof of the supernatural. The plot just existed to shuffle the characters from one location to the next, which I would be totally fine with if the locations didn’t feel like they were also there to move the characters along. There were some genuinely disturbing moments and thought-provoking insights in the mix, and it was a pretty quick read overall, but for such an intense concept and title I was hoping for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Transphobia
sofiacis_7's review against another edition
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Murder
questionablereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Dark and captivating story that follows Mario, a man who has dealt with unbelievable tragedy and battles that sadness with bad decision making, while also being hyper aware of that fact. I felt for Mario, hell, I cried for Mario. This book made me feel everything and I loved the Spanglish and Puerto Rican culture woven within the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
ouijabroad's review against another edition
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
1.0
I slogged through this one. I feel like this happened for several reasons. The first one being that there’s sooooooooo much fluff before the “action” begins (I use action loosely and I’ll get to that). This book could have easily been a novella in my opinion and summed everything up much faster, however I still don’t think it would’ve been a worthy enough story to tell.
I knew going in that the characters weren’t likable and I’m fine with that. The thing is I didn’t care about them, the story they were telling or what happened to them. The beginning was sad and I had empathy for Mario’s financial struggles and how healthcare is a sick joke, but that’s about all I felt the entire book.
The messed up and sometimes (weirdly and randomly) even supernatural things that happened had no explanation and the violence was purely there to shock the reader.
The author cannot write women, he is as bad as Stephen king. Any woman is just there to further plot and they're either reduced to their looks and bodies or viewed as a mother figure (or both like Stephanie!). Also really loves telling us about fat folks because that totally adds to the story. And all the fat folks were objectively bad people.
I didn’t dig his writing style; This author really likes to use similes at a distracting rate.
Now, the “action” during the climax: it was such a dud. All this lead up and exposition with so many unexplained happenings, violence and then it’s just over. I can’t believe I spent so long trying to get through this one. I wish I had put this in the DNF pile.
I knew going in that the characters weren’t likable and I’m fine with that. The thing is I didn’t care about them, the story they were telling or what happened to them. The beginning was sad and I had empathy for Mario’s financial struggles and how healthcare is a sick joke, but that’s about all I felt the entire book.
The messed up and sometimes (weirdly and randomly) even supernatural things that happened had no explanation and the violence was purely there to shock the reader.
The author cannot write women, he is as bad as Stephen king. Any woman is just there to further plot and they're either reduced to their looks and bodies or viewed as a mother figure (or both like Stephanie!). Also really loves telling us about fat folks because that totally adds to the story. And all the fat folks were objectively bad people.
I didn’t dig his writing style; This author really likes to use similes at a distracting rate.
Now, the “action” during the climax: it was such a dud. All this lead up and exposition with so many unexplained happenings, violence and then it’s just over. I can’t believe I spent so long trying to get through this one. I wish I had put this in the DNF pile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
melm1216's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was on board for the first bit. Felt very Breaking Bad so of course I kept going. The book was just, weird? There were lots of untranslated Spanish sections that I attempted to translate and then just hoped it wasn’t necessary. I was not expecting a splattery, Christianity-inspired horror novel but that’s on me for not reading the fine print I guess and the ending happened so quick it was almost anti-climactic. I also didn’t really get the motivation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
caidyn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a hard one to rate. On some level, I enjoyed it. Yet, I also didn't at the same time. It's a difficult book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer and Drug use
taratearex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
5.0
The desperation and bad decisions of Breaking Bad meets the creepy supernatural vibe of The X-Files meets the slow burn storytelling with political commentary of Silvia Moreno-Garcia... which is just to say this was right up my alley. This is definitely genre bending- some noir, horror, and thriller. Some of those scenes were so gruesome I would be covering my eyes for them if it was a movie, so now I am still waiting for them to leave my brain haha, so definitely not for those that don't like a bit of gore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Child abuse and Transphobia
tyler_j's review against another edition
This is a great book from what I read. DNF 108 pages.
This DNF has nothing against this book itself. The reason I can't finish it is highly personal.
I wish I could finish this book. It truly seems amazing and I believe if I could finish it i'd give it 5 stars. But I can't.
This DNF has nothing against this book itself. The reason I can't finish it is highly personal.
I wish I could finish this book. It truly seems amazing and I believe if I could finish it i'd give it 5 stars. But I can't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death and Death
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.0
This story is not for the faint-hearted because there are some very brutal incidents involving injury, murder, death, abuse, drug use. Set primarily in Texas in a world of violent crime and desperation, the main character, Mario, is still reeling from the death of his young daughter and the breakdown of his marriage. The author nimbly weaves a number of serious social issues throughout his book, with one in particular being the way health care costs in the United States can bankrupt people and take them to a very low point in their life.
Looking for a way to recover financial stability and win back his estranged wife, Mario embarks on a life of crime he sees as short term. An opportunity becomes available for Mario to join two friends for a high-paying job that promises to be the payday they all need to start over and leave behind their criminal pasts. Unfortunately, this last job takes them into the underbelly of a world where the strong survive eliminating rivals and punishing traitors, and in this world, spirituality harnesses not just God, but the Devil too.
Really well-written story and a good translation. The assorted people and various landscapes of their environments felt visceral and real. In a lot of books and movies, criminals and the poor are portrayed in a one-dimensional way, but in this book, the characters possess great intelligence and depth, and the reader may likely be exposed to a harsh reality that many people experience but many more are insulated from by virtue of their skin color, neighborhood, lineage, and sometimes just luck.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Jean-Marc Berne was excellent.
Looking for a way to recover financial stability and win back his estranged wife, Mario embarks on a life of crime he sees as short term. An opportunity becomes available for Mario to join two friends for a high-paying job that promises to be the payday they all need to start over and leave behind their criminal pasts. Unfortunately, this last job takes them into the underbelly of a world where the strong survive eliminating rivals and punishing traitors, and in this world, spirituality harnesses not just God, but the Devil too.
Really well-written story and a good translation. The assorted people and various landscapes of their environments felt visceral and real. In a lot of books and movies, criminals and the poor are portrayed in a one-dimensional way, but in this book, the characters possess great intelligence and depth, and the reader may likely be exposed to a harsh reality that many people experience but many more are insulated from by virtue of their skin color, neighborhood, lineage, and sometimes just luck.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Jean-Marc Berne was excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, and Alcohol
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
This book is DARK. It’s nihilistic and violent and hopeless. You will want to sit in the dark and stare at a wall when you finish it. You will wonder if there is any good left in the world, anywhere. You might sob.
I loved it.
Minor spoilers ahead (all within the first 50 pages of the book).
Mario, the narrator, and his wife Melisa find out that their daughter Anita has been diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of leukemia. Shortly thereafter, Mario is fired from his job for taking off too much time to care for Anita. The bills pile up. Mario grows desperate. Mario reaches out to a person from his past for a job. The friend gives him a photo, a location, and a gun and Mario kills a man for $6,000. Mario feels no guilt. He did it for his daughter. But when he returns home, his daughter is dead and his marriage is over.
That’s just the start of the book. Mario’s decent into darkness is just beginning. The book contains supernatural elements, but this is definitely one of those horror books where hell is other people. Hell is also yourself. Hell is the darkness of society and the cycles of violence we engage in just to make it through the day.
I loved it.
Minor spoilers ahead (all within the first 50 pages of the book).
Mario, the narrator, and his wife Melisa find out that their daughter Anita has been diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of leukemia. Shortly thereafter, Mario is fired from his job for taking off too much time to care for Anita. The bills pile up. Mario grows desperate. Mario reaches out to a person from his past for a job. The friend gives him a photo, a location, and a gun and Mario kills a man for $6,000. Mario feels no guilt. He did it for his daughter. But when he returns home, his daughter is dead and his marriage is over.
That’s just the start of the book. Mario’s decent into darkness is just beginning. The book contains supernatural elements, but this is definitely one of those horror books where hell is other people. Hell is also yourself. Hell is the darkness of society and the cycles of violence we engage in just to make it through the day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty