Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

61 reviews

thegayestghost's review against another edition

dark slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

refrejarator's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a really fun read, however the main character is (due to her nature) someone I find intensely unlikeable. The description is fun and wild, and full of gore and torrid sex. I personally dont enjoy constant discussion of genitals outside of smut, and this book had a lot of reflections on genitalia (but this lines up well with the main character). 
I'm a vegetarian, and this book at least intrigued me with all the meat and recipe talk. Definitely made me hungry.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

alissa_lopez's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

Definitely more smutty than I had anticipated, but the prose is beautiful. It started slow (& pretentious) and grew on me as I kept reading. Definitely an interesting read!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

finnmurphy10's review against another edition

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

amessina3399's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Really great story, lots of parts that I wanted to highlight and carry around with me in my pocket. That being said, the only thing stopping me from giving it a 4 is that the book tries really hard to keep itself as realistic as possible—ie the character saying things like “this book is true, why would I lie” and such things that when plot holes arise, no matter how minor, I’ve been asked not to suspend my disbelief, so they appear more glaring than had the book just given me the story without qualifying anything. Also, wish there were slightly more food/flavor descriptions, being a minor foodie myself. Other than that, great book, very interesting character, and I would recommend to anyone who loves horror and overall nasty bad-assery 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

kindredspirit7's review against another edition

The narrator was so frustrating and annoying. The further I got into the book the more frustrated I got. The author did a fantastic job depicting the mind of a serial killer, but it just wasn’t for me. It was too long and detailed and at times a bit too gory. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

fishoutofwater's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

2.75

I typically love books where women are unhinged, and as a psychology student I can relate to the students in the book and agree that if Dorthy was a real case I would be interesting to try and “study her”. 
However the way the book was written just made it hard for me to enjoy it and immerse myself into it. It had a pompous writing style, describing things in a way more complex way than needed. I also did not like the timeline, it was very winding in circles, beating around the bush style. The time jumps were not labeled so it was hard for me to keep track where we were in the story.
That is to say it is definitely a story about an intelligent, interesting and conniving woman. If you can look past those faults then this is a great book!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Cannibalism

bando_bauldio's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Such a fascinating book on weaponizing gender norms. The writing was superb! I loved the culinary themes in the book, it adds a certain sophistication to Dolores’ murderous actions that makes me almost admire this baddie of a woman. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Classism

bbpettry's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Summers really worked me out with this debut - I'm three years late as always, but damn! It's fun, its grotesque, its twisty and while this protagonist is deeply fascinating, there is no point in the narrative that is positioning for forgiveness. Dorothy Daniels is a violent murderer, and she tells us about that in tales of food and sex and plotting. It feels like Summers made this character by taking all the femme fatale career bitch attitude stuff from the 90's and took it all to its logical conclusion. A man-eater. A writer. A woman. Every time the writing was on the verge of losing me in too much gourmet musing (she is a food critic writing from prison, obviously she'd go on endless food tangents)  she pulls it back with a raunchy one-liner or low brow tv reference (Green Acres being my fave.) Somehow with all this book is, one could describe it as a book about the power of friendship and you'd technically be right. Very misleading, but correct.  
Not 5 because

while the end with Emma knowing all and staying loyal was fun, something about the end felt wanting? I wanted a bloodier end somehow, with her having escaped and maybe she's coming to eat you next kinda thing. But this isn't a horror novel, so maybe the end fits but was clumsy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Stalking, and Death of parent

peggy_racham's review against another edition

5.0

"To eat people is to get the taste of a Titan. It’s infinite immortalization. It makes a god out of a woman."

Women's rights but more importantly women's wrongs. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail