Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

16 reviews

arichey1988's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This horror draws on human nature to build suspense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

alexandragriffin's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual assault

bookbelle5_17's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

Review of Black Mouth

By: Ronald Malfi

            When Jamie Warren was thirteen, he, his brother Dennis, and two best friends Mia and Clay encounter a mysterious known as the Magician.  He teaches them magic tricks, tells them they can learn magic, but asks them to do terrible things such as sacrifice Dennis.  As an adult, Jamie is haunted by those memories becoming an alcoholic like his abusive father, but now he is being called home to Black Mouth.  The Magician has returned, and Jamie, Dennis, Mia, and Clay intend to stop him before he poisons any more children.

            This dark and creepy story has supernatural undertones as you don’t know if the Magician is an immortal or if the character’s minds are playing tricks on them.  Jamie like a lot of unreliable narrators in thrillers is an alcoholic so you find yourself not sure if he is haunted by metaphorical ghosts or literal ghosts.  This adds to creepy and unsettledness to the plot as its hard to determine what’s real and what isn’t.  Jamie as a main character is sympathetic with his addiction, his fears about the magician, and his complicated emotions towards Dennis.  He loves Dennis but finds it challenging to take of his brother.  The other two characters Mia and Clay are interesting too.  Clay was born with a disfigurement known as Vitiligo, meaning he lacked pigmentation on certain parts of his skin, and he would get bullied mercilessly.  As an adult he deals with it a lot better and helps kids with issues like his.  Mia on the other hand, lost her parents in a car accident and had become obsessed with death, eventually making horror movies as adult.  They deal with what happened in their own way.  Clay wanting to make sure they protect others like them, Mia wants revenge, and Jamie wants to run taking care of his brother with him.  It reflects how they each cope with trauma; Clay uses it to make him stronger, Mia is full of anger fueling her, and Jamie avoids.  There is foul language and one character whose head I hated being inside.  He has ugly thoughts that bothered me.  The story is good with themes of friendship and the darkness within all of us. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder

kermit_the_wrong's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-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: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Vomit, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

rachelunabridged's review

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Fatphobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Infidelity and Suicide attempt

cbroderick226's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, and Gaslighting

Minor: Vomit and Suicide attempt