Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Camp Damascus

"Beware a curious person whose attention has been piqued."

My first Chuck Tingle book, somehow, & definitely not my last (Bury Your Gays is also on my TBR for the fall).

“The stuff they believed, the messages they pounded into our heads … none of it was that weird. They’re just the thousandth little twist on the exact same book.”

As multiple other people have pointed out, Camp Damascus feels YA, not in a bad way. But if the book was marketed as YA, it would immediately be banned from at least half the country's school libraries, & quite a few public libraries as well.

"It’s hardly the worst thing organized religion has come up with."

This book is uncomfortable, & heavy. Bible quotes are repeated, as well as the cult's tenets. Religious trauma is heavily explored.

“There are things I miss about my old life, like community and family and just … going to church on a day like today. You’ve shown me how someone could find love in that book on their own terms, but too many people around here have used it for hate.”

Representation: Autistic lesbian MC, wlw relationship, gay supporting character.

Warning: Religious trauma, cult, gay conversion camp, gaslighting

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randi_jo's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.25

This was such a good read. And while it does have some very anxiety inducing scenes, in typical Chuck Tingle form, there are some very poignant themes and thoughts sprinkled throughout the narrative, like: life's balance between knowledge and faith, identity and how mutable it is, real evil is done with intention (sometimes even best intentions), sometimes your family won't choose you but you can always choose your found family, and as always: love and acceptance.

Pros:

🪰 Some of that horror really did make me squeamish, but not because it was "in-your-face" offensive. Just tense and sometimes gross.

🪰 MC is gay and autistic - she displays hyperfocus tendencies and has her own soothing rituals, which honestly sometimes made ME feel better, too lol. Anyway, she is portrayed really well as she struggles with faith, the loss of faith, and coming to terms with her identity.

🪰 A very thoughtful approach to the insidiousness of hatred in institutions (the church in this case). That there is no black and white message that "all religion is evil or good" makes it more compelling to examine your own thoughts and values.

Cons:

🪰 Minor pacing issues, but most of them I think occur in places that don't affect tension buildup for the thriller/spooky stuff.

🪰 Marina was forgotten maybe a bit too soon.

🪰 Had alcohol instead of chocolate milk.

this is a joke and not a real con unless you are very rigid on your tingleverse canon, which would be understandable

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erikaraz's review against another edition

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4.0

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theromanticace's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

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telurin's review against another edition

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challenging emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

Excellent! Give it a try, it picks up quickly and hooks you quick.

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sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The premise of this book interested me, as well as its popularity online. While I was expecting a humorous horror novel about queerness and Christianity, I was thrilled to also discover how strong Chuck Tingle’s writing is.

My main issue with the book comes from the time jumps. There are a few places where Rose talks about weeks of research she’s done, but we never get to see it. Especially considering how intelligent she is, I would have loved to spend more time seeing what her research process is like and discovering new information. There were a few times I felt I was being told what happened, rather than getting to experience it. I also found the themes of this book to be incredibly heavy-handed, I didn’t need to be told conversion therapy is wrong and would rather see the repercussions of these beliefs without being pulled out of it by somewhat condescending phrases. Trust your readers, Chuck!

My complaints aside, I did really enjoy this book. There are several passages that were incredibly visual and exciting, from monster descriptions to the sunset. I also loved how Tingle built suspense, I felt like I was reading a marathon with how excited I felt. The premise of this book is also a brilliant idea and I enjoyed going on this journey with Rose.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi horror. While there are definitely religious themes, it’s the scientific procedure of the characters that really moves the story along.

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shinypurplepants's review against another edition

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4.0

Gross, horrific and romantic! Long, long list of content warnings and the biggest one isn't even recognized by Storygraph: do not read this if you cannot handle bugs, body horror and religious abuse.

Otherwise, this Tingle title is a visceral romp from abuse to self actualization. As a queer person raised in a religious household I felt seen. It is a cathartic and horrifying feeling. 8/10 highly recommended!

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