Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Angels Before Man by rafael nicolás

30 reviews

caseyreadslol's review

challenging reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Animal cruelty

jellegolas's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Alcohol

bkwrm1317's review against another edition

Was reading this book for Indie Ink 2023-24 for the "Writing the Future We Need: Latinx/e Representation by a Latine/x Author." At 71% of the way through the novel, there were exceedingly brief mentions of skin color, and one reference to drinking yerba mate (the only direct reference to Latinidad to that point in the novel). Otherwise, there were no real references to Latinidad/Latine identity, so this book did not feel a good fit for this category. 

At nearly 3/4 of the way through the novel, I preferred to spend my time for Indie Ink on other novels that needed additional readers and might fit the category better. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

rmnedder's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

As a recovering ex-catholic queer... this book was absolutely beautiful. Such a wonderful take on the fall of Lucifer. It's tragic, it's introspective, and it needles you with pointed questions about authority and autonomy. The prose is really imaginative and atmospheric; it literally feels biblical in its nature and scope. Despite the intensity of some of the content, I feel like everything was handled with a lot of grace and care. Lucifer is one of the most interesting, complex characters I've encountered this year; his relationship with the other angels, specifically with Michael, are so tender and impactful. 

My only complaint is that it took me a minute to get truly invested; it started out a little slower than I would have liked, but after the first ~25% it really picked up. Other than that, this was such a fantastic read. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that queerness exists in all corners of mythology.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Death and Alcohol

wolfst4r's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Cursing, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

c_alexander's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Rape

pandem0nium's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

the twink to king of hell pipeline 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

thesvnthsense's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Incest

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

ina_pages's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I’d give this 5 stars if not for very minor grammar issues that I believe were addressed in the rewrite. I hope to get my hands on that since I also heard that new scenes were added to it.

This book pulled me out of a reading slump that lasted MONTHS. Rafael’s masterful prose will have you gripped from start to finish and will have you falling in love with characters literally against your own will. It was heartbreaking enough to read about a character you knew was doomed from the start, but this book makes you feel so much for Lucifer that watching his decent from grace was just that much worse.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who’s interested. The author lists down a set of trigger warnings at the start but they are only really applicable in the second half of the book. 

If you want a feel good, slow burn, romance-y book then maybe pick this up and just stop after part one (like skip the interlude even) but if you have the headspace for it part two is an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

axel_p's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism