Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

25 reviews

wends_nblw's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I will say. I went into this blind, and was expecting something a lot more compelling.

This book is okay; it's fine. Nothing I would rave about, but something I would casually recommend.
I'm not sure if it's just me, but this felt like a middle school read rather than young adult? I don't know why, but I keep imagining the MC as like.. 12-14 years old. (Actually, I think this book could've been better if it had been a MG haha!)

I was a huge fan of the concept, but not the plot. I don't care about vampires or cults or anything else. I wanted so bad to read more about Elatsoe's gift and the Lipan Apaches. I found it so much more interesting than the murder mystery that was happening in the foreground. 

However, I'm always rooting for representation as an asexual native myself LOL ! 
Would def recommend to a younger audience. Nice little murder mystery with fantasy elements.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gun violence, Racism, and Colonisation

Minor: Genocide and Kidnapping

katrinky's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.5

good mystery, but got a little muddled sometimes (are they leeches? or vampires? or just magic evil humans?) and I didn't find the characters to be very deeply-drawn. I recommend it for YA fans, mystery fans, thriller fans, and anyone into vampire/mythical lore. and HIGHLY recommend for anyone looking to read more Native authors and see more Native protagonists.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

bluejayreads's review against another edition

3.75

 I very nearly DNF'd this one, because the main murder mystery plot just didn't vibe with me. Ellie's magic with ghosts means that her murdered cousin straight-up told her who killed him, and the mystery part was actually about finding why and how in a manner that law enforcement would accept. And I just didn't find it that interesting. However, then I realized that I did find everything else in this story interesting. The world of monsters and magic - fae magic, Indigenous magic, vampires, all sorts of stuff - along with the modern world was well-crafted and fascinating. I loved how it was the modern world just a little askew because, you know, magic. I loved learning about the Ellie's Lipan Apache traditions and magic, I loved having a protagonist who was explicitly aro/ace without it being a big deal, I even really enjoyed Ellie's relationship with her best friend Jay. And the murder mystery part did end up having a solid climax (although I'll be honest, I saw the big twist from a mile away). On the whole, I'm glad I finished reading it, because even though parts of it didn't do it for me personally, there's a lot to love in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Racism and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, and Car accident

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Missing persons. Insects. Near-drowning. Mild unreality (time/space distortion).

ladythana's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Genocide, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

pastelkerstin's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Racial slurs

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Police corruption

emily_mh's review

adventurous mysterious 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

5.0

This was such a delight to read!! It really reminded me of the game Night in the Woods. I adored the author’s writing style; the dialogue gave off a real arthouse film vibe which was really unique. But also, she effortlessly wove together so many strands of story and character, but all in the direction of telling a murder mystery?? Masterfully done!! The plot was also well-paced and held my attention throughout. Ellie was a wonderful main character: she was clever, determined, and thought outside the box, so it was really refreshing to read from her POV. Jay as a side character was so much fun, and the friendship between the him and Ellie was joyful. Finally, the illustrations in the chapter headings were absolutely gorgeous, and I loved how they ended up weaving in with Ellie’s storyline.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Car accident

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Major content warnings for death of a pet and loss of a loved one. Minor content warnings for drowning, climate change/global warming, drought, insects, mass murder, and divorce.

nodogsonthemoon's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Blood, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Racism, and Violence

morganperks's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

lumorise's review

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Blood, Grief, and Car accident

Minor: Cancer and Kidnapping