Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

25 reviews

readerofdafuk's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book definitely has the horror movie vibe to it. Like classic slasher movie with victims settings etc. I really like how the chapters are divided into time so you actually see the real time of how within 4-5 hours everything changed

I was scared/creeped out by the ferel children at the beginning, but the more I read about these fucked up people it was like the more it clocked that this can't be real people, even with some knowledge of technology like tape they somehow don't have empathy even for their own people? Or mourning their own dead? Didn't take away from how their creepy little family horrors work, just made me a bit more aware of "Oh this is just fiction" 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

ohyayitsapril's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

rikathestrange's review

dark emotional tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Pregnancy

roman_castavet's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

I don't even know how I want to rate this - three stars feels high but safe for something that grossed me out but which still had me committed enough to read within 24 hours. Jack Ketchum is a real name in horror literature and I knew his reputation going in but Off Season felt more approachable and less obviously a turn off than trying to read Girl Next Door. The rape, genital mutilation, child death, and graphic gore in general weren't anything I needed a trigger warning for, I knew what I was getting into and didn't leave this book feeling upset, just grossed out. Do I need multiple scenes of chopped off penises? No. Does it ruin my day? Also no. But like, knowing this kind of graphic and sexual violence is a Ketchum standard, while it doesn't trigger me in any way, it also isn't something I really desire. There are people doing shock value in way more amateur ways which I would never touch in the first place, so I can respect that Ketchum is not a bad writer and really appreciate his Afterword about the censorship he faced in this book's initial publication (and why he deserves to be able to publish the original book he wrote!) - he is not a bad author, this type of horror just simply isn't for me. But this doesn't keep me up at night, and in many ways was a fun start to my summer reading challenge.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Incest

issymaae's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, and Fatphobia

corvidcopia's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Cannibalism, and Murder

gatsbyonabudget's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

ericabailey004's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

the_anxious_one's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I should have learned long ago that Jack Ketchum just isn't my cup of tea. 

Everything about this fell a bit flat for me. No character depth, weak plot line, no back story to our villains. Just some horny folks in a cabin in the woods, and a disgruntled police officer who should have retired ages ago. 

Wad it gory? Yes. Was it beyond brutal? Also yes. However it felt that the attempts at shocking the reader with violence far outweighed any attempt at building a storyline worth following. More attention was put into the spice level than the actual plot line and that just isn't my thing. 

If you're into brutal gore stories with nonplots, this is for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail