Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

7 reviews

cheziknowles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

wyabook234's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

With Ketchum, he makes a great offering from the woods with his book titled Off Season. How as an author, Ketchum doesn't hold back on showing the brutality of these cannibals as they target a gathering of friends as their latest meals. With how these characters are struggling to eat and survive; it means that no one can be safe from the savagery of nature or civilization. Almost all of their ends are met in a descriptively graphic, disturbing manner with how these characters are burned, bitten, and chewed up. However, Off Season's not having reliance on plot armour doesn't make up for how the story is conveyed in writing prose that sometimes veers off into being clunky or needlessly focused on the sexualization of the female vacationers. Furthermore, the characters can also be seen as pretty flat, which can hurt the need for the audience to connect with these characters as they struggle to stay alive in Maine's wilderness.

With that being said of Off Season, it seems that Ketchum knows how to build up the suspense and when to escalate the tension to be more effective as opposed to having the gore instantly explode on his pages. These dreadful scenes of tension can be either the scene of the cannibals watching Carla and Jim having sex or one of the cannibals playing with Marije like she is a piece of meat before she gets the upper hand by biting into his privates. Scenes like these can be most effective as they are being used to build up for a quick getaway into another shocking situation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Vomit

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

thegreatandwonderfulbookwitch's review against another edition

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

A New York editor rents a cabin in the woods in Maine and waits for friends to arrive. A wild family living nearby decide to bring a night of terror down on their heads. None will walk away without scars.

I mostly went into this blind. I found the writing to be really solid and engaging. The description of horror was just detailed enough to be disturbing without drawing out scenes too long. The imagery was gory and terrible to read. The pacing was nice, nothing was needlessly added or fluffed up. 

I wouldn't recommend this for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy horror movies and books, then you'll like this one. You'll never see a fire the same way again! I was left pretty shell shocked by the end of it all.

I received this book from Amazon first reads for free. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

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

mjadeh's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This book made me feel physically sick. It was wonderful. I feel like I just watched an 80s slasher film. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

shubh_reads_constantly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

BLAND. SOOOOOO BLAND. I'll say that this one was actually the weakest novel I have read which features cannibals. And I say features because half of the book doesn't even focus on the cannibals. The first and the second sections of the novel tell us about the life and struggles our characters (who are going to be butchered) have to face in the world. How they think that the person they are dating is not better than the previous person they dated. I DIDN'T LIKE THAT!!!! WHY SHOULD WE KNOW THIS STUFF IF THESE PEOPLE ARE ABOUT TO BE KILLED IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS????  

I am not saying that this is a bad book. It's a good book. But why the unnecessary character development? And what was the purpose of introducing cops in the story? They have no roles in this novel until 90% mark. And that too was kind of unnecessary. Still the parts which DID focus on the cannibals were great. Perfect actually. Which is why I said it's a good book . I hope the next book in the series is better. 3.5 Body fluid lathered stars 🌟🌟🌟✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Excrement