Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

17 reviews

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

0.25

this is one of the worst books i’ve read this year, and just in general. the plot is incredibly misleading. the very early “twist” should’ve been mentioned in the synopsis, if it was i never would’ve read this. i think books should 100% mention if there are supernatural aspects, because that is a huge part of the book and something i don’t usually enjoy. the characters were flat and none of them were tolerable. the major plot twist is incredibly silly and just juvenile to me. overall, i don’t think this was written well at all and it was just silly, and not in a good way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

mispaintedlady's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Mental illness

charliebriggs96's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

mandi_lea's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

starrysteph's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

A clever piece of comedic horror that takes complicated family dynamics to a whole new level.

Vesper left her isolated religious community at eighteen and is stumbling her way through adulthood a handful of years later, waitressing at chain restaurants and keeping everyone at a distance. But when she mysteriously receives an invitation to the wedding of her cousin & closest friend, she journeys home. Back to her callous film star mother, her crisis of faith, and the people she thought she would never see again. 

But as family secrets come to life, Vesper realizes she’ll have to face her community … and the truth of her upbringing.

I loved witnessing Vesper’s fight for independence, especially as more and more of her past memories are revealed. She’s cynical, sarcastic, and callous, but I found her likable and relatable. Her internal struggle is compelling, as she contemplates nature versus nurture and who she is outside of the bounds of family.

I do think the pacing was a bit off at times (too slow at the start - and too rushed in the second segment), and I would have loved more time exploring the family dynamics and getting to know the supporting characters. Constance (Vesper’s mom) in particular had a very choppy arc and I wanted to dig deeper there. 

It’s more dark humor than horror, though there are some supernatural elements (and a bit of gore) towards the final segments. Overall though, the tone is playfully sinister and it never takes itself too seriously. I really enjoy Rachel Harrison’s writing style - super easy to read and sarcastically delightful. 

CW: murder, animal death, blood, gaslighting, injury, gore, emotional abuse, fire, cannibalism, body horror, torture, grief, religious bigotry, abandonment, sexual harassment

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

teatunesandtales's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Religious trauma, cult trauma.

nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

While the book takes its time to build to the climax, it still managed to be bingeable. Another solid bite of storytelling from Harrison. While YouI could see the twist coming with my eyes closed, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail