Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

White Horse: A Novel by Erika T. Wurth

77 reviews

kaiju_witch's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

A good time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

luisareadsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

I unfortunately wasn't a fan of the author's writing style, which is my biggest issue with this book. Sad, because the premise is so interesting. That said, I do feel like the writing got progressively better throughout the book.

I appreciated the themes that were explored, like generational trauma and healing, and cultural heritage and identity. This book is on the shorter side, and if it was longer, I would've loved to see these themes delved into more deeply. 

The plot captured my attention and I loved how the story is filled with supernatural elements. 

But again, the overall writing style just didn't resonate with me and that was my biggest hang up.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Car accident, and Colonisation

csmoke85's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Murder, and Toxic friendship

jourdanicus's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-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

4.0

A beautiful (in a dark way) novel about unpacking generational trauma through the lens of mild horror/crime mystery. And yet so much more and better than that because of Wurth's writing style. Worked for me because of the themes of mommy issues plus crime mystery that didn't kiss cop ass.

I love Indigenous horror. I also love any horror that references King, whether implicitly or explicitly. This book did but was still all its own, so I would recommend it to King fans but definitely don't expect it to be exactly the same, or to put King on a pedestal (there's some spot-on commentary - with a bit of reclamation! - of King's love for including "Indian burial grounds" in his stories).

Not a perfect 5 stars for me because I need faster plot pacing, but to the extent that I can objectively evaluate books (very little lbr), this was an excellent read. Highly recommend on audio.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death of parent and Murder

Minor: Incest, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

mcuthill's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape

brindlecat's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Murder

scifi_rat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

kitaandarchie's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This one would be a great choice for a book club read.  The main character, although I am not indigenous, Kari has a relatable personality for anyone who has experienced deep trauma... and honestly that hooked me. Through the book her experiences unfold one by one-like the peeling of an onion. I wanted to keep reading and couldn't put it down. It's not a 5 star because I felt a few holes in the plot, but this is so worth reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder