Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos

14 reviews

bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Fat Camp + Blizzard + Zombies = The perfect storm for a unique sci-fi/thriller/horror that kept me on the edge of my seat and begging for more. I have a soft spot for books that make fun of themselves and Eat Your Heart out fits the bill. This combination of humor, self-awareness, and suspense is a favorite of mine. Following this motley camp crew as they flee the zombies overrunning the camp and figure out exactly what's going on was such a good time. It was a little jarring switching perspectives so frequently in the beginning, but once I got more familiar with all the character I actually liked it. Getting that 360 view of different events and seeing the motivations humanized all the characters quickly and made it feel more like a movie. There were a few choices that seemed random/weird/dumb to me, but that's actually on brand for horror movies. The ending was both satisfying and disappointing, but I think it suits the story itself. I'll be on the lookout for more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood and Pregnancy

Minor: Confinement and Suicidal thoughts

mirandakellymacbeth's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I thought the book was really fun, though I felt a little unsure of exactly what tone it was aiming for most of the time. Sometimes it felt lighthearted and silly (like a fun cheesy thriller) but then would shift over into serious territory. I think a mix is possible, but the shift between the two felt a little awkward. Overall I enjoyed the book and maybe only wish it was a little more wacky. Like the concept of weight loss bars turning fat camp kids into zombies is kind of fun, but it the author felt afraid it make it too much fun. Maybe it was concern for making fun of fat camps and people who attend them. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

Minor: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry

_forestofpages's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia

deerlybeloved's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

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

3.0

While not my favorite book, I will be reading any sequel that comes out. Eat Your Heart Out is a great book written from a unique and rarely seen perspective; That of a fat girl's. The fat characters are not shamed, though attempts are certainly made, and the fatness of the characters isn't seen as a burden or horrible topic to be hidden.

There's some downright mortifying moments that made me suck in a breath, moments that made me emotional, and moments that meant more to me than I could ever describe. That being said, the ending left MUCH to be desired for me, and the lead up to the end felt a little flat compared to the rest of it, but do not let that keep you from reading! The experience is still enjoyable, with the characters being unique and beautiful in their own right.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma

The book mocks fatphobia and fatphobic rhetoric, something I enjoy, but as such it has to talk a lot about fatphobia and what others think of fat people. Therefore it could be very upsetting. Pregnancy, medical abuse/medical testing without consider, forced confinement, violence against children, and much more is talked about, so go with caution.

franklola's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Violence, and Car accident

Minor: Murder

willowmae's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

farenmaddox's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Deliciously fun and campy just like a zombie thriller should be. It definitely wishes it were a movie instead of a book. I enjoyed all the characters and am so glad to see a thoughtful depiction of fat characters who are nuanced and interesting and capable and flawed and heroic and so many different things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit and Car accident

apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

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, Death, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Car accident

risquish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Blood, and Grief

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed Eat Your Heart Out. It has profound character growth and insight into how different people react in traumatic situations for the main group, and it's a really engaging read. Kelly DeVos has a wonderful skill for describe setting in a way that draws the reader into the story. I think the concept behind how the zombies are made and develop is really interesting and unique to this story. 
I'm not giving Eat Your Heart Out a 5 star review partially because of how it uses the classic horror tropes, though the usage and breaking of these tropes is also one of my favorite parts of the book. I didn't like that

one of Vivian's first thoughts after Allison's death was to kiss Steve

It's 100% a trope used in slasher fiction all other time, but it's one of my least favorite tropes. The body positivity aspects of this book were also really well done. There was a strong message that thin doesn't equal healthy or strong without making the book didactic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, and Pregnancy