Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

9 reviews

faduma's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

barefootbetsy's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I really liked this. Yes, the pacing could’ve been more even, but the concept was solid and I enjoyed the story!  I, like many other reviewers, could’ve done without the romance subplot; but those issues aside, I thought the story was well done and it certainly drew me in quickly and thoroughly.

The history was fascinating and I have a new appreciation for how difficult (and horrifying) living with the remnants (and current iterations) of slavery and redlining and stolen land must be 😞

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Excrement

madmantha's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

One of the best books I’ve ever read, if not THE best. 
Thrilling, anxiety-inducing, emotional and yet hilarious at the same time. 

Can’t wait to suggest this read to others, I loaned it from the library but will definitely be purchasing my own copy. This is something that deserves to be remembered and celebrated for years to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Torture

Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Vomit, Alcohol, Addiction, Hate crime, Outing, Racial slurs, and Slavery

arthomas's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Grief, Murder, Drug use, Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Stalking, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mental illness, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Racism

jellie23's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Racism

kaylamoran's review

dark mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

This was a lot.  Wow.
I've seen a lot of white reviewers complain that this book wasn't thrilling, wasn't creepy.  As a white person myself I'd just like to ask if they read the same book.  This book was the definition of unsettling.  The creepiness, the dread, it starts in chapter one and never stops from there.
I loved Sydney and Theo.  I loved how easily I could get into both of their minds, how well fleshed out and how human they both were.  Both were so flawed but had such good intentions, and I was rooting for them both the entire time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Torture

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

alexandrapaul's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

This book was crazy, but generally in a good way.  I could feel the unease and paranoia in the writing, however it could also be a bit confusing at times. I thought the conspiracy of gentrification being linked to

Spoiler

a corporation trying to take over marginalized neighborhoods was really cool

Spoiler

and I liked how the author linked it to the actual history of Brooklyn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, and Violence

Moderate: Dementia, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexual content

gentlethem's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Grief, and Hate crime

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Kidnapping, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

bexshelf's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Dementia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Xenophobia