Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

27 reviews

meganmoisant's review against another edition

dark tense

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and War

vonaegir's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

weird horror in the best way. a tightly plotted, excellent executed story about grief, the remnants of childhood, and what it's like to grow up in a family that just doesn't talk about things. the less i say, the better.

i love you, pupkin.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

this one def isn't for you if you don't like puppets/dolls!

aseel_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.75

This author is a hit or miss for me, and this was a miss. For starters if the house is

filled with puppets and dolls

OBVIOUSLY ITS GOING TO BE HAUNTED. Being a cliche was the lesser of the crimes this book commited. The next was the weird historical add on of

9/11??? Like why did the brother join anti war puppet organisation and then like lose his identity within the puppet and kill (?) his friends

. The last thing that had me gagged, as the kids say,

POPPY MAKING HER OWN PUPPET?? that was straight up messed up, as well as cutting off her own brother's arm??? And some pretend/real spider pet?? Damn this book went off the rails

Lolol as I'm writing the review, I brought down the rating 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment and War

alicroz34's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

3.0

This was the closest I came to a DNF in many years. The first third was a bit of a slog for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it overall. The last third almost made up for the infuriating start. 

Little to no applicable advice or information about to sell haunted houses, wth

 I'm all for character flaws, but going from physically fighting your idiotic brother to LETTING HIM PLAN YOUR PARENTS' FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS ENTIRELY BY HIMSELF IN THE SAME DAY BECAUSE HE SAID HE LIKED YOUR MOM'S FRIED CHICKEN IS FUCKING INSANE. Parts of it felt campy on purpose & parts of it felt cringey by accident. 
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Vomit, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism

tabea1409's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

annieisawesome's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Very good. Parts of it were predictable, but there were enough surprises that it was still interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Drug use, Torture, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

maukingbird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

One of the most upsetting yet wonderful books I've read.

A rollercoaster of experiences. Sad, angry, scared, disgusted... It challenges what you think of the characters and what you think you know about the world they inhabit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

johnnalasswell's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Self harm, and Medical content

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

this was pretty good but a little too silly to really scare me. i’ve never thought dolls were scary so this didn’t get to me that much, i also thought the ending was kind of out of nowhere?? idk. i do love Hendrix’s writing though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

smendoza929's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty