Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

33 reviews

shinypurplepants's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

spaghettii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

3.0

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this (in a good way). When I was able to predict something, it would be only shortly before it was revealed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

lisacanteven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

Such a wonderfully brilliant metaphor for hatred and homophobia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I learned earlier today that the Bible only started using the word “homosexual” and its other forms in 1946. Evidently, the same word was previously translated as masturbator and its various forms. So conversion therapy, I would guess, probably only followed suit after homosexuality became demonized by the Church (otherwise, there’d be no church if they had to convert every masturbator to what exactly????).

Gay people have been around since the beginning of time, because more of us are scientifically gayer than “polite” society wants to admit (sexuality is a range spanning heterosexuality to homosexuality with lots of shades in between). So the idea of conversion camps fascinates me. Why are we trying to homogenize the world? What is the deep fear or desire motivating it? Thus, I had to read this book, and it wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that’s partially because I forgot to read the small print saying it was also a horror book. However, I suppose it is a horrible experience for those forced to undergo it. And I imagine a lot of what’s in the book might be true enough (the cost and the brainwashing).

Mostly, I’m glad there’s a book for questioning young people to read that lets them know there’s nothing wrong with them and that they have the power to resist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

4.75

Laugh out loud funny, thrilling, creepy, tender, sad. I didn't know I needed demons, monstrous adults, and plucky teens needing to know they are perfect exactly as they are, but here we are..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

christcore's review against another edition

3.5

Really wanted to like it for the unique setting, but this is one of those books that just REEKS of "debut novel." The prose was clunky and repetitive, and there were SO many sentences that I could predict in my mind. I rolled my eyes at the writing at least a dozen time while listening to the audiobook.

Honestly, the plot was predictable too. Sometimes you come across a story that is so close to good, but just can't quite get there. It's sad. 

The horror was interesting and had the potential to be scary (demons, insects, cults...) but all fell flat. I think this is an issue of poor editing more than anything else.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Vomit

Moderate: Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Car accident

Minor: Cursing and Deadnaming

raptorq'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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Ableism and Drug use

brioches22's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

emizulu's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book. Heartfelt, heartbreaking, and fulfilling. Interesting world building, at just the kind of pace that lets you put together a few of the background pieces yourself. Would definitely recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

errie's review against another edition

dark

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting