Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

62 reviews

romeisnotindc's review against another edition

4.0

Really good at building atmosphere and narrative voice. Wish we could’ve gotten more lore about the creature.

the creature is kind of always just there as a threat, occasionally picking people off. We never learn what it really is or even get a distribution other than it’s got claws and it’s big. It’s behavior and the mystery around it is what makes it scary, but I would’ve liked even just a little info on what it actually was, where it came from, or even just what it looks like.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death

elitheradguy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

This story was sold to me as a creature feature, and it very much is, but the creature is not the forefront of this story by any means and is more of a metaphorical device than something that is dived into in detail. The story centers a lot more on our main character and the abuse she suffers at her "husband". 

We learn later that this was actually her mother's boyfriend, and he kidnapped her when she was eight years old in order to groom her.

All in all, I feel like this was a beautifully done story. I've never suffered abuse myself, but it seemed like a liberating story to me about an abuse victim who finally manages to break free of her situation and find something better. I would hope that, if an abuse victim read this story, they would have the same hope for something better that I finished the story with. Fair warning that the emotional and physical abuse in this story is explicit, and I'd imagine that this would be an incredibly hard read for somebody who's been through abuse like this before. Take care if you intend on reading this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death

batcaves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

wild_sazzy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

Fantastic book. 
Christina Henry addresses modern day issues in a horror context and I am here for it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

suvata's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Kidnapping

nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

e_gracereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

Holy WOW was this book fast paced. It starts off HARD and FAST. It was a very quick read, and steeped with action throughout the entire novel. I really enjoyed the “two villains” aspect of the book; however, I do wish we’d gotten more of the creature in this creature-feature. The horror in this book is really a lot less because of the creature, and a lot more because of the people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

sophiesbookshelf2's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I found this tense, dramatic and thought the characters were very realistic. As much as I wanted Sam to stand up for herself I could easily understand her fear. The pacing was pretty good too. I kind of wish the 'wild monster' got more explanation but still a pretty good survival thriller

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Miscarriage

terry9375's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Blood

Moderate: Violence and Vomit

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual assault

Just for trigger warning. The sexual assault is all off page, and more of a reference to it, not graphic or on page descriptions. Kind of a fade to black style.

ladylady's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

It’s a slow burning book and a ok thriller. The second half of the book is far more gripping

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence