Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

5 reviews

spadedigsbutts's review

dark 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Incest, Xenophobia, and Classism

the_bookish_witch's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

snackattackisback69's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

As a fan of Bloodborne, I loved the premise and atmosphere of this novel due to the similarities they share. The unsettling city of Elendhaven and the rot that was consuming it from the inside out was right up my alley. The writing style was both descriptive and engaging. I enjoyed following the two main characters and their dysfunctional relationship. My one issue with the novel is how short it is, as I would've loved more time to delve into the horror of the city and flesh out the ending which I felt was rushed. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Confinement and Rape

Minor: Incest and Stalking

vigil's review

dark emotional funny tense slow-paced

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

3.75

the venn diagram of comedy and horror is a circle.

the plot is mostly straightforward until you reach the ending where things get murky.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

river24's review

dark fast-paced

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

5.0

5/5
Where do I even begin? This is the most beautiful, well-written book that I've ever read. The writing is magical, every single line holds so much depth and emotion. I loved every single aspect of this book!
It's dark and bloody and so, so incredible. The relationship between the two main characters had me screaming in this venomous glee. It was–for lack of a better word–gloriously fucked up. Their relationship teetered precariously over the cliffside, swaying back and forth between the firmness of the crumbling soil and the black waters below. I cannot describe with words how perfect this book was. The relationship also reminded me a lot of the relationship between Hannibal and Will in the Hannibal TV show.
This book delves into a shadowed city with a vengeance at its heart and a monster on its heels. I always adore when books explore what it means to be a monster and what it means to be human, this book did so flawlessly in a non-explicit way.
Queer horror as a genre is something I always love and always come back to, please give me recommendations if you have any !! This book was everything and is something that I'll be recommending forever–I will not be forgetting about this book anytime soon!
I always stand by the fact that magic is a metaphor for queerness and I think that the horror genre often holds its own unique spin on queerness in its bloody jaws and both of those factors I am in awe of every single time.
This is quite a short book therefore this review doesn't go into immense detail because I don't want to spoil it, but trust me this book is worth your blood, sweat, tears and more.
Some of my favourite quotes were; 'Don't you feel it, sometimes? As if the world wants to consume itself.' 'Magic is not in the brain, miss; it is in the bones.' 'Thin ice isn’t a problem for the sea; it’s a problem for the blind idiot who steps out on it.'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol