Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

47 reviews

arellareads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I like Stephen King books because his literary style is so dependable, and this one is no exception — full of descriptive language and symbolism, insights into the human psyche, and an ever-growing tension that’s rooted in quality rather than cheap thrills.

“Pet Sematary” is powerful because of the overarching themes of grief and its toll on family relationships. King has an exceptional way of merging horror with deep psychological and philosophical questions. Although the surface elements are dark and gore-y, the naivety and curiosity of children when confronted with death is so realistic, and so are the hardships that the family has to endure. 

Part one is a bit slow, but part two has some of the most poignant and bone-chilling writing. King’s recurrent personification of death through “Oz the Gweat and Tewwible” and the physiological turmoil and hysteria of human grief is so visceral and so raw.

The only thing that holds this book back is some of the off-putting language and appropriation. In part one, the women feel like they exist as plot devices; this does get remedied toward part two as we see more of Ellie, and especially Rachel, who actually has a backstory and intrinsic motivators. 

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of “othering” toward different races and cultures. The supernatural elements of this book are built on Indigenous Micmac folklore, twisting a sacred burial site into a place of evil, while the townsfolk often talk about the Natives as un-human. King builds his story on Indigenous lore, but doesn’t properly address or resolve these issues in the ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

gizley0420's review against another edition

dark tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Dementia, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.0

Stephen King said that this is his darkest novel, in his opinion. And he's right, probably? An upsetting concept and a somewhat obscene execution.

Coming back wrong is an interesting premise, but I just didn't like this version. Partially because there's a toddler involved, partially because I didn't like the story in general. idk. King has some fetishes, and I'm tired of hearing about them maybe?

I don't feel like there's much original I can say about this. Like, I'm not put off King books now, but maybe I'll read reviews first?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Car accident

Minor: Suicide

paracosim's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Cannibalism, and Car accident

lizzieinmt's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Excellent writing and pacing. I loved this one. The descriptions were so vivid and engaging I found myself completely wrapped up in it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Alcohol

fausticontrelibros's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

vorticella's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.75

This my first real horror book and it was terrifying but I loved it and want more. That small town vibe with dark secrets delving into the supernatural was so gripping. I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

voicenextdoor's review against another edition

mysterious 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

3.5

3.5 I feel like this really should have been a novella and then it would have been a 5 star read. Spending so much time in Louis’s head really didn’t serve the book. You could have cut a 1/3 of his inner monologue and had a much more compelling and terrifying story. It wasn’t until 75% that I was finally into what was happening. A disappointing reading experience because of all the hype surrounding the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Terminal illness

truckasaurusb's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

bokslukaren's review against another edition

4.5

This story reminds me a bit of Edgar Allan Poe, with its mounting tension, psychology and morals, but the writing is strictly King and has the power to pull the reader in from the very beginning. With an ever-growing tension and false hope, Pet Sematary is a deeply disturbing book that made me feel anxious and upset. I was wrong to expect a childish story of the title and my underestimate bit me in the ass. In between reading sessions I could feel the malevolent pull of the book. If I compare Pet Sematary to the other books I've read by King I come to the conclusion that King suffers with writing his endings, but on the other hand how can you write a satisfactory ending to something so “gweat and tewwible”?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Gore

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death