Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig

24 reviews

readerio's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

A gripping read that kept me surprised at every turn, about cycles of abuse and imperfect families.

The mother Maddie felt a bit underdeveloped compared to other characters, and there wasn't much presence of female characters in general, which brought the score down slightly for me

, but still an overall good book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcoholism and Gun violence

rmnedder's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book was really intriguing. It had such a strong start, a really interesting premise, and some fantastic ideas. The motif of cycles and the way the author deals with generational trauma as an aspect of horror is particularly interesting, as is the entire character of Oliver. 
Unfortunately, this book ultimately felt way too busy. There is so much going on at all times, there are so many plot threads to follow, there are so many tertiary characters - it feels stuffed to the point of bursting and it ultimately left me feeling overwhelmed. There were so many fantastic concepts and ideas in here that could have been compelling as their own story, but since they were woven in and out of this story I felt like they were less impactful than they could have been. Honestly, this book could have been about 20% shorter without all the fluff and filler in the plot and dialogue, and it would have been better for it. 
Also, all the random semi-irrelevant political tangents in here were weird. I'm a firm believer that a lot of good horror is inherently political, but this didn't feel inherent - it felt like the author was Attempting to insert politics into this book in a way that was both inelegant and ineffectual, since like 95% of it was not relevant to any plot or true character development. 
Overall, not a bad book! It's got some good bones and some brilliant moments, but it kinda manages to get in its own way sometimes. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Alcohol

aparker89's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kaywhiteley's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I actually really liked this book. It kind of reminded me of Dean Koontz and Stephen King (minus the cocaine rambles). I also liked the commentary on generational trauma. Slay. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Car accident

iamastraythought's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.25

Wow. 
I was afraid of this book going in to it, I hadn't read anything this daunting in a long time, closest I got was Hell Bent, and just the sheer size of it had me wary.
I'm glad I pushed through that fear. This book was spectacular. It reminded me a bit of the show Dark, a bit of Interstellar, and a tiny bit of It. I usually don't go for tales of apocalypse, but this was different, was unique in a way that kept me on my toes. I almost saw what was coming, but couldn't quite guess, and that, too, kept me intrigued. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content

charlottesreadingweb's review against another edition

dark sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

The horror of generational interpersonal violence and it's consequences. A reflection on how desperation for acceptance and love can manifest in horrible ways. This book definitely has some decent scares, especially the Interlude chapters. I'd say there are still a lot of loose ends having finished it, and the writing is nothing special. If you are ok with no definitive answers, this book is a good Halloween haunt. Tread extremely carefully given graphic descriptions of domestic violence/child abuse & neglect. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Blood, and Abandonment

honeyenbee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Vomit

Moderate: Cancer, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Car accident

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

ladygray_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

leahcatching's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail