Reviews tagging 'Death'

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

44 reviews

mmoonlight's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

That was a great choice of a novel for a horror-related book club.

It was unsettling, intriguing, disorienting, very strange, and that mix really worked for me. The style of writing, and the way it constantly underlined how the main character was running out of time, inspired uneasiness, dread, and anxiety, especially since throughout most of the novella the main character wasn't aware of what she's supposed to be looking out for.

Another thing I enjoyed about the story was that, because I wasn't exactly sure what was happening, I assume it can be read in any way the reader likes: is it a supernatural horror story? Is it psychological horror? Is it magical realism? Is it an environmental horror? Is it a story about a mother experiencing anxiety and some sort of mental illness? It can be all of them, it can be none of them, it can be something else altogether. What I am sure of is that it certainly did read like a fever dream.

My only real complain is about the ending. I found it to be confusing and a bit anticlimactic, considering the pace of the rest of the story. It felt too abrupt.

But other than that? I really enjoyed the novella, and it's definitely worth of checking out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Ableism and Grief

Minor: Stalking

feelincelestial's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A very tense and tragic novella. I finished it in a couple hours and enjoyed the feverish unease of the narrative. As someone with a lot of anxiety about the safety of my loved ones, that feeling of realizing you’ve prepared for every threat except the real one hits close to home.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Miscarriage

opossumble's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

kylosten's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

fiaharringbook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

bexcloud's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror and Medical content

nreyno's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Medical trauma

hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.75

Such a quick read with a lot happening (hence the title), thought I’d somehow missed stuff. I understand the author pulled inspiration from the very real consequences of harmful pesticides being used in Argentina but I didn’t like the way the disabled children were written about in this. It just felt off and I can’t quite put my finger on it on the exact reason. The ending was heartbreaking though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child abuse

mayjulyn's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death

issymaae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Body horror and Medical content