Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Laws of the Skies by Grégoire Courtois

11 reviews

cwiita's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Bordered on feeling unrealistic in the sense that the verbal communication and (hopefully) barbarity of children has its limits, but usually managed to turn the worst moments into something worthwhile.
I find the perspective interesting, mainly the way that Courtois acknowledged and discusses children’s realities and fears through the language and context of adult understandings. 
Initially I struggled to grasp the timeline and the way our focus as an audience shifts so frequently, but eventually I realized how important it was to the film-like pacing and building of suspense. 
It made for a very interesting read, with some decent gore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, and Excrement

Minor: Stalking

nat2r's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The writing in this book was fun to read, but aside from that...there's nothing really compelling me to recommend this to anyone 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

mandi_lea's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

aexileigh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

lizardgod's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexual assault

noonanjohnc's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Alcohol

jackiesspookyshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

noveltay's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

If you have ever read The Troop by Nick Cutter, this is right up your alley. I do not think this book is for the squeamish or emotional person, as this is all about children dying (some in horrific ways). Keep that in mind. But for the horror aspect: this was incredibly written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

chloseencounter's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I don’t know what I was expecting, I went into this read pretty blind to what it was about. I’m not sure what I thought it was going to be, but definitely not what it was…

This novel was beautifully written and brutal, the descriptions of graphic violence where some of the most agonizing and genuine I’ve ever read but that’s sort of all this story had to offer. I kept waiting for there to be some sort of lesson or point to the brutality but there just wasn’t. I just keep coming back to the why of it all. You may expect a story to have a plot, or a lesson, or even be a character study but to me, it just wasn’t any of those things. I suppose it was meaning to stand for loss of innocence but I didn’t even get enough time and introspection with each character to see that. I suppose if anything the ending was…ironic, I guess.

The hunter becomes the hunted.

I don’t think of myself as someone who is bothered by violence but also I don’t really find joy in reading about the terrible and upsetting deaths of six year olds, one after another…and for what? Was it some weird metaphor for Darwinism? I honestly have no idea and at the end of the day that left me with a lot to be desired. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

elsebeok's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, and Car accident

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual harassment