Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

42 reviews

rwilhoyte's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol

nahret's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

3.5

 A difficult read, ngl. Not only are the murders absolutely, horrifyingly gruesome, the atmosphere in fictional Charon County is nothing short of oppressive. There's the racism that the US, and the South especially, is built on; the author makes it clear at every point, that there is no escaping the legacy of slavery. And not just because we never actually arrived in a post-racial America, but specifically because the White Supremacists in Charon hold on to their questionable heritage with incredible dedication and an all-consuming hatred for everyone who is not a straight white cis man.

And then there's religion. Charon has an abundance of churches (which, again, I hear is normal in the South), and religion might as well be the protagonist of this novel. It permeates every aspect of life in this town, from intimate familial relationships all the way up to politics and administration. Consider this, if you will, a content warning in case of religious trauma; this book will probably cause a reaction.

This story hits all the important notes of a crime novel:
- the sense of danger is constant
- the resolution of the case proceeds at a steady pace
- the characters behave in a consistent manner
- all ends are tied up in a satisfying conclusion

My only quibble with the book was the sheriff's inner monologue. I mostly liked the prose, but sometimes the bible quotes, idioms, similes, and metaphors became a bit much. They certainly helped with the whole Southern vibe, but they don't need to pop up every other sentence.

However, solid read, with as happy an ending as possible under the circumstances. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Slavery, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

sweaterdad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

Loved this book! I’m not a huge fiction reader so I asked some friends for a rec and so glad they sent this one my way. I was hooked after the first couple of chapters and really loved the cast of characters. Definitely a dark read, but so important given our current sociopolitical state. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

fabacious's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Colonisation

condls27's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A gripping, dark mystery that will keep you engaged to the very last sentence. Take care and check trigger warnings before reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Murder

corinne828's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail

kianau_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Murder

ford_defect's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Genocide

author2223's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail

aelsaj711's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I will be reading from this author again, that's for certain. Top-notch prose, and probably some of the best character work I've seen in a mystery so far, even though it did still fall flat for me at certain moments during the book. I felt like certain characters didn't serve enough of a purpose to justify their existence in the story. Regardless, I still really enjoyed the mystery and thought it was well-done while also going deeper and discussing the racism still alive in America today. Seeing how the evils of racist ideologies can tear apart a community as well as individuals was simultaneously enlightening/chilling to read. Another extensively talked about idea throughout this book is the farce of religion with a focus on Christianity. The different

priests

seen throughout the book contrasted to the "real" church was, I thought, really well done. The murder mystery was riveting because of its abject gruesomeness, and I kept flipping through the pages to see what kind of person could commit such crimes. The writing and character profile of

the murderer

was also a bit reminiscent of Alex Michaelides' writing. Definitely would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Racism

Minor: Racial slurs and Mass/school shootings