Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

13 reviews

nightmarebees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Gore, Gun violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Miscarriage and Racism

Minor: Infidelity

georgiesutton's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.0

I found the story overall really good and interesting, but I felt like the writing style really ruined this book for me. The pacing was off and some sentences and paragraphs were impossible to follow which meant action would happen but I’d be confused about what actually happened. Especially in a book where reality is questioned, I found key events were not well described. I loved the family and friendship dynamics, the basketball and native culture, but some bits dragged and some were just plain confusing. 

Overall I feel like it was a really intriguing premise but between the pacing and the writing it wasn’t all that enjoyable to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Death, Child death, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Violence, Death of parent, Car accident, Body horror, and Animal death

bashsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

The Only Good Indians is such a compelling and gripping horror story once you get into it. The beginning is a little slow, and the author makes you work to decipher his writing style - but it pays off to figure out the rhythm of it. I especially liked the various POV shifts and the importance of even the most miniscule details. Will definitely be reading more by Stephen Graham Jones.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, Stalking, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Hate crime, Body horror, Grief, Gun violence, Suicide, and Torture

Moderate: Classism, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs

Minor: Vomit and Infertility

thetallestbird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This is one of those books that takes a while to get going, but once it does, hold onto your butt. The beginning and the end lost me a little but the main middle chunk was incredible. There are images in there that are going to stick with me for a while. For example:

Spoiler

Lewis and the teeth, hello???

. The author also uses a really unique mechanic in the middle that I loved once I got used to.
I also really appreciate being able to read a story with such a heavy influence from the Blackfeet culture. Not just for an understanding of the scarcity and injustice, but for the richness of their traditions, legends, lore, etc.

In short, I'm very glad I read this book and will be thinking of it for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Gore, Grief, Racism, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Cursing, and Death

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Vomit

writerkit's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Animal death, Gore, Blood, Death, Body horror, Pregnancy, and Racism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Vomit, Miscarriage, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual content, and Genocide

oyonok's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Death, Violence, Pregnancy, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

kstericker's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Suicide, Racism, and Miscarriage

Minor: Sexual content

boglord's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Colonisation, Alcohol, Body horror, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Suicide, Murder, and Racism

nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Suicide

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Vomit

keen's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

I've learned more about basketball from this book than I ever had in my entire life. I'm pretty sure watching several basketball games wouldn't teach me this much about basketball. How correct this information is, I don't know, but Jones must have a lot of love for it to be mentioned so often. So, if you're a basketball fan and a horror fan, this book was probably made for you specifically. Not that any of this is bad. The focus has its purpose and serves it very well to the end.

A few times, I felt like the book wasn't scary to me. Body horror, paranoia, animal mutilation, been there, done that. Each and every time, after I got comfortable, I'd be thrown off with a punch. And I loved it! Books that make me forget I'm reading a horror book add so much more to the horror. If I'm scared and nervous all the time, the effect will wear off too soon. I've never read a horror story like this either, giving my favorite horror tropes a new twist. If you like body horror mixed with animals, give this book a look.

Reading this book with my friend (who doesn't consume much horror) made the experience so much more enjoyable. We pointed out our ideas on how the book would go, the meanings within the book, and our responses to each scene. I'm excited to go through the Reader's Group Guide with her.

Additionally, Big props to Shaun Taylor-Corbett for such a good audiobook performance. It got to the point where I preferred reading along with the audiobook to reading the book without it. His ability to change his intonation for each character is something to admire. The more I listen to good audiobook performances, the more I wonder what kind of training goes into it. For Taylor-Corbett, his experience as an actor—I actually recognized his voice from the musical In the Heights—must have helped a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Stalking, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Pregnancy and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Excrement, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts