Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

91 reviews

r3allybadusername's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was great! My only complaint would be that I wish the ending felt a little unfinished.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Gaslighting

esteemichael's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

4.25

Even with the sense that you know some of what's coming, you're peeking through your fingers while the characters Go Through It.

The unflinching gore was well done, check trigger warnings! The pace from the middle to the end slowed a bit still 100% worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting

acechemicals's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

5.0

I can't objectively review this book in any meaningful way. It resonated with me in every single way, from

memory loss due to religious abuse

to

finding a family that understands the need to protect others.

It took me four hours to read and I'm sure everyone I love is completely irritated by me reading passages or sending heart-rending quotes in DMs (or setting the book down so I could cry several times during the last quarter or so). 

Entwining religion and horror is not new by any means, but done to great effect here. Everything is scarier through Rose's eyes, because she's sheltered. And we're so used to denial of the protagonist's experiences as a trope of horror that "you didn't see anything weird" seems normal, "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this" isn't out of the ordinary, but it ratchets up seamlessly and quickly for Rose in a way anyone familiar with high-control religion would recognize immediately.

I want everyone to read this. I also want to cry for the next six months. And I couldn't have asked for a better ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Car accident

Minor: Deadnaming, Drug use, and Gun violence

kaneebli's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Car accident

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Gun violence and Vomit

antidietleah's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

shugentobler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

I think I loved this even more than Bury your gays. The narration by Mara Wilson was on point! I loved the characters and self discovery and insidiousness of camp damascus. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

megj23's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Murder

sezillee's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

swiftpool's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

Thoroughly disturbing and intriguing. The writing was really good and had a distinct voice. The family dynamic and conversations were so real I had to stop a few times. I didn’t know much about the plot when I went into the audiobook, but it immediately hooked me in.The audiobook is definitely the way to go, it really brings everything to life. 

Even before it was revealed the MC is indeed autistic I was identifying with her and wondering if she was neurodivergent. I really enjoy her friendship with Saul despite their differences and her conflicting feelings for her family, it’s all portrayed really well.  The descriptions of the demons and videos were so well written it made my stomach twist, but admittedly I don’t read many books with written descriptions of things like that so others may not think the same.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Ableism and Vomit

jupitermaybe's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

An incredible triumph, terrifying and darkly funny at times. Puts words to important experiences of religious trauma and heterosexual.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Gun violence and Torture

Similar level of gore/violence/torture to Stranger Things.