Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

23 reviews

throwback682's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Usually if I finish a book and don’t know how I feel about it, scrolling through other people’s reviews helps me process and solidify my feelings. Not this time. I’m still really on the fence. It definitely seems like a love it or hate it book but somehow I just don’t feel either. I didn’t find it horribly predictable nor breathtakingly shocking. Some twists I guessed, some I didn’t. It did have some of my least favorite horror tropes -

bad guy with a facial difference,

mentally ill murderer,

random sexual assault thrown in.

But it kept me very interested, that’s for sure. I don’t know. Very mixed feelings. Sometimes I thought it was going to be a five star, but then… it wasn’t. I liked the epilogue better than the final chapter. Should you read it? Solid maybe. Shrug. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Casual usage of a slur for Romani people, as a synonym for “shortchanged”

noraestelle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

I think overall it’s a really good book and I would be open to reading other things from this author. I will say it wasn’t perfect, I feel like it could have been cut in half. I don’t think this is a spoiler, but you’re following an unreliable narrator that you find out something is off very early on so by the end of the book you’re kind of just feeling like “can someone please just tell me what’s going on?”. While the climax is good, you’ve already been through like 4 other instances that you thought was the climax. I just felt like it was kind of just repetitive and at one point it literally was a whole scene that was repeated. 
Like I said it was a really good book, I just want others going into it to know so it’s a better experience for them. Also, I highly suggest getting the audiobook. The voice actress did a phenomenal job! I really felt immersed because of her. 
Now this might be a

so watch out, but the ending while sweet I don’t know how I felt about the paranormal aspect of it. I’m conflicted on that. Kind of cheesy but 🤷🏻‍♀️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

disguisedposer's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

harvestingmushrooms's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Last chapter before the epilogue took 2 years off my life span, STRESSFUL but absolutely fantastic 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer

crowbiz'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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A little slow at the start but once it picks up, it picks up so quick! The ending makes so much sense but in a way you would never guess. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bleaksalad's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Theme Music was so much fun to read. This book is like if the craziest unsolved true crime case you know got crazier 20 years later. The plot is crafted to make sure you never know what’s gonna happen next and every reveal leaves you questioning what you thought you knew. Even though for 75% of the story Dixie is an incredibly unlikable character, she’s the realest protagonist I’ve read in a horror novel in a while. If I thought I was being haunted by my gruesome dead family I’d be delusional too. Some of the more bloody scenes were kind of hard to follow logistically and the “final battle” was a little corny, but that didn’t negatively affect my understanding of the story at all. If you’re looking for gore with a heartfelt plot, Theme Music is definitely worth a read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual assault

clairebonney's review against another edition

dark tense

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal death and Alcohol

Ch. 7 - mention of Pepper the dog having to be put to sleep the night before (off the page)

pjsans's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

_alyssabrown's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

maraycher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Alcohol