Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

10 reviews

frogbooknook's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Toxic relationship

tornado_ally's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

I have strong mixed feelings about this book. I love the author. I don't know why this book was so hard to get through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Such a sad story packaged in a terrible tale! I was excited to read this trilogy, but I'm reconsidering. I heard the third book is really good, which means I'll now need to read the second first. Better be worth it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ghostinyourcellar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

squisheebee_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely loved the narration of this book. Jade stole my heart & maybe it biased my rating.🤷🏽‍♀️ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

melchncookies's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

If this hadn’t turned supernatural,

it would have been at least a 4 star book, if not higher. The setup for the killer was amazing and I didn’t guess who it was.

I didn’t love that the little girl ended up coming back.

I wish that could have just been Jade’s imagination. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child abuse and Fire/Fire injury

lancemama's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death

blackcats_and_coffeecups's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Abandonment

savvylit's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

My Heart is a Chainsaw has an excellent concept as a meta-slasher story. The action and homages to films are both effective and quite horrific. That being said, this book was almost a DNF for me. It was interminably long. At 150 pages in, I was absolutely drowning in slasher references - yet hardly anything else had happened. The drawn-out beginning certainly served to characterize Jade and immerse readers in her obsession with slasher films. However, I truly believe that it did not have to go on for quite that long. Jade's backstory and interactions with Mr. Holmes & Sheriff Hardy could have been cut back by at least 100 pages.

The length and lack of action for so much of the book made it excruciating to read at times. However, the action, when it finally does happen, nearly makes it worth the wait. It's perfect: so gruesome, gory, and scary. I also liked the way Jade's tragic story was tied together at the conclusion. Honestly, though, the last 100 pages are so well done that the juxtaposition between that section and the beginning made me even more frustrated that it took so long to get there!

As you can tell, the pacing and length of My Heart is a Chainsaw were disappointing to me. Especially since I'd really enjoyed Jones' The Only Good Indians last year. I still love the way that Jones blends myth with reality and think of him as a master of horror. But this book was just frustrating to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Incest, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Murder

readundancies's review against another edition

dark 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? No

5.0

 Uhm, fuck me, cuz this was QUALITY. 

The slasher vibes were real, the trope subversion was immaculate and Jade was a fucking fantastic lead character with the Author Notes just validating that sentiment to me even more when I read them. 

I immediately went and purchased a copy for my own collection and will be waiting in avid anticipation for the sequel. 

This bloody delivered in every way I wanted it to and every way I didn’t know I needed it to. 

Go read this. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault