Reviews

Sick Bastards by Matt Shaw

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michloue's review

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

It's hard to believe this was 200+ pages, I flew through it in no time. It's an easy read for sure and the story is interesting. My brain may be broken at this point when it comes to shock value because I found this to be one of the more tame extreme horror novels I've read. There were some grammatical errors and spelling mistakes throughout but I enjoyed this read regardless and will certainly read more from Shaw in the future

goodloser's review

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dark fast-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

1.0

I'd consider myself a horror veteran, and this book is atrocious. It's not gruesome. It's not disgusting. It's not scary. It's painfully unimaginative, poorly written, and the literary equivalent of shock art with none of the shock or the artistry. The writing and plot itself are something a 14 year old would put together. There's no depth in the exploration of its topics, nor the emotions of characters, nor their relationships. It amounts to nothing more than "wouldn't it be fucked up if this happened?" with no further elaboration or real thought put into it. Unbelievably disappointing read.

Content Warnings

hzmt's review

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dark 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

2.25

I read this book as part of the disturbing books iceberg.

This extreme horror novel felt like it was just trying to be edgy and gross and over the top without any kind of driving plotline to keep the reader engaged. I could have easily put this down halfway through and never picked it up again.

None of the characters, even the first person pov of the main character we're particularly fleshed out or likeable. With an emphasis on the two women being there just for objectification, sexualizing, and conflict, with neither of them having fleshed out personalities and being presented as jealous of one another despite their roles of mother and daughter.

Early on, the story makes some things rather clear but turns out to be false, leading to a jarring plot hole.

The beginning stated that the victim on the table is next in a long line that have met the same end, as well as a mention of "sister" getting sick from eating too much of it. As the story unfolds you are taken across the timeline from when they arrived at the house to where the book starts- with only 4 previous victims happening and all except possibly the last one having been dead before meeting their end on the dinner table. This plot hole is hard to overlook.

The eventual twist was actually something that I didn't see coming so I do have to give credit there while making a statement that doesn't seem too far out of the realm of possibilities. But it's all just lost in the angsty, "edgy", grind of the narrative.

Not worth reading, even just for an iceberg list.

carveaname's review

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

gryd's review

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2.0

Después del primer capítulo realmente pensé que leería algo muy fuerte ,después de tantas advertencias pensaría uno que sería algo extremo pero la verdad es que no, si hay que tener en cuenta algunos TW pero definitivamente no es para tanto.

b_n_z's review

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dark

1.0

cringe

leannamcali91's review

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4.0

Messed up, but good

If you like horror and extremely messed up situations, you will probably like this book.
It has a good plot and some shocking twists.