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czoltak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Torture, Kidnapping, and Murder
kitewithfish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The book has is structured with flashback chapters that inform the book as a whole and give insight into both the structure of the house and the way Vera lived in it with her parents.
I think I might re-read this later to see how it all fits!
SPOILERS FOR ENDING
The element where the horrible duality of Vera's mom sometimes being awful and sometimes being kind is because she's possessed and the Thing Possessing Her is the one being nice? Absolute top tier horror, brilliant, amazing work for the girlie's (gender neutral) with fucked up moms. Really enjoyed the book leaning into the dad's serial killing being the least upsetting thing in Vera's childhood.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
m_moon's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Grief
orlagal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
eleonorehilbig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
and i don't know what to do with this one.
it was engaging enough and i enjoy their writing style.
but what did i read? what's the point of the book? if i understood this i believe i would rate it a lot higher - at this point i am just confused - and so i will just rate it as average.
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Murder
ixris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Blood
mishellsch's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Torture
fionamclary's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Whew, I absolutely tore through this one. Two days!!
Although I struggled at times with Sarah Gailey's frequent use of repetition in their writing, the exploration of the gray area and overlap between love and monstrosity ultimately won me over. This book will have you asking yourself who the real monster is up until the very last page. However, as Gailey makes clear in their acknowledgements, in real life the delineation should always be clear: You deserve love, not monsters. But exploring the ways in which monsters can love us and love can be monstrous still matters when too many are living in that exact situation.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
lilawsahar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Questions left unanswered:
- Was Francis’s compulsion for murder driven by Daphne?
- Why didn’t the house reveal itself sooner?
- Will Vera continue killing people?
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail