Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Nessun dove by Neil Gaiman

20 reviews

rose_thorn2020's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide, Excrement, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

embersbooknook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book was really interesting - it’s my first Neil Gaiman read.  I thoroughly enjoyed Good Omens, of course - but a rather different reading experience, as it was co-authored by Terry Pratchett.  

Neil is an inarguably talented author - his prose, storytelling style, pacing, plots, character development, etc. are all fantastic.  This book was dark and gritty and real in a way that I think made it better, even if it was harder to read because of it.  

I typically don’t stray into the horror genre because I am an HSP, and my sensitivity to disturbing content makes it hard for me to look past that and enjoy the deeper meanings and content therein.  
For fellow sensitive readers, I would say …don’t read it before going to sleep.  But otherwise, if you can stomach some violence and disturbing ideas, it is a very well crafted and thought-provoking tale that has a lot to say about a lot of these that we ought to talk more about.  

While people don’t literally fall through the cracks in our world, they may as well do, frankly, for all the mind that we more fortunate folks pay to them.  The houseless, the sick, those living in poverty, hungry, etc. - our society casts so many away, wishing them to be unseen as Neil portrays them in this book.  
This book challenged me to try take the time to see people, and not look away just because I feel guilty that I have enough to eat and a warm place to sleep.  

I loved Door, the Marquis de Carabas, and Richard…so many complex characters that have a very real, flawed nature to them, which makes them leap off the page all the more.  

Neil is brilliant, this book definitely makes me look forward to continuing on with more of Neil’s works in the future.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

what happens to Anesthesia and her description of what happened to her before ending up in the Underground was upsetting to me, but it’s a brief mention which is why I listed it as minor. The animal cruelty and death are listed as graphic simply because of how often they are mentioned in passing and it’s very disturbing. London Underground is kind of a cutthroat place so…y’know, violence.

the torture aspect of the book was quite difficult to read at times, especially where de Carabas is crucified (literally). He ends up okay (miraculously) though. Other torture is mentioned by Croup and Vandemear throughout.

The self-harm/suicidal thoughts bit is from a situation that Richard goes through in his mind - a test of sorts. There are some things said to him during that bit that could be triggering to some folks. The murder, body horror, blood, and injury detail are pretty self-explanatory - we do get a couple chapters from the villain’s POV….thats where a lot of this comes from.

themissyreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

ratthegnome's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

cassieemaree's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, and Death of parent

kcmg710's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol

honkinggoose's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Suicide, Torture, Blood, and Murder

galexy_brain's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This felt like a pretty bog-standard hero's journey sort of book, though the action was great (I felt myself grimacing and cringing often). I wish Richard was a more compelling main character. The backdrop of a creepy London underworld was pretty cool. I've only been to London once so the references to city locations I'm familiar with were neat, though I'm sure it would have been cooler if I had been well-acquainted with the city. However, I found it hard to visualize London Below. I don't know if I missed something, but half the time it felt like they were

walking through subway systems and sewers and marshes, and other times it was described as having buildings, almost reflecting London Above?

idk maybe I'm inattentive. My only other qualm with this book is when

Richard, who seems as if he is in his mid-twenties, wants to kiss Door, who is described by Richard as appearing to be a teenager. Then they never bring this up again??? The final inconsistency that didn't bother me but caught my attention was that the Sewer People are introduced as not speaking English in Neverwhere, but in the short story prologue from this edition ("How the Marquis Got his Coat Back" or whatever), he had a full-on conversation with them.

Anyway, if you like gritty grimy creepy spooky hero stories this book may be for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

shaipanda's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book I don’t think I would have ever picked up if I hadn’t gotten the illustrated version and listened to the audio book alongside it due to reviews recommending the audiobook. However tbh I think that was probably the best combination of formats I could have read this in and overal I really really enjoyed this
It was slightly more graphic and violent  than what I usually read but it was a super interesting world and story and overall just a really enjoyable experience to read it. 
Supposedly the second book in this series finally came out like yesterday or two days ago but I can’t find it so hopefully I’ll be able to find it at some find and read that too :) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Death of parent