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jackalopecore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Incest, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Medical trauma
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
sofipitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
There are also a lot of things about this book that it's less upfront about that haven't aged well, for example this book has really racist undertones, between the way it described POC, historical events, and use of the n-word. Same goes for misogyny. There's also some eating disorders thinking in the way thin bodies, constantly described with bones showing, are overly romanticized, which is why I marked eating disorder under triggers, bc the language in this book might give an impressionable goth teen one. So anything that was a triggering undertone went into the minor trigger category
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism
stormywolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this slice-of-life horror story followed some of the most unlikable characters and produced some of the most disturbing content I've ever had the misfortune of reading. I regret reading this book. In fact I think the consensus of the discussion was that most people shouldn't read it. I'd only really recommend it if: you are really into vampires, particularly of The Lost Boys variety; are really into vampires and want to research more into their historical progression as a genre; like mature horror and aren't triggered by any of the warnings I listed above; or have read it before and are wondering what it reads like 30 years later. It's not completely devoid of value, obviously, but there is a lot of context and problematic content that should be addressed before attempting a readthrough. Then again, I'm not very well versed in horror, let alone vampire horror (this literally being my 2nd foray ever), so take my squicky feelings as they are. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abortion, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Infidelity
charlie_w's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Incest, and Rape
Moderate: Gore and Violence
lemonbalmgirl's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, and Violence
angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While the characters are well written and many develop well through the narrative, they’re definitely not likeable characters. That itself relates more to personal reading preferences but if you add that to the gloomy descriptions of the atmosphere and the intense darkness of the plot then it becomes a very intense read intended for a very specific audience. The novel also features a multitude of content/trigger warnings and features multiple particularly graphic sexual scenes, some of which are also extremely violent, so I’d proceed with caution when it comes to picking this one up. Many of these triggering topics that are explored within the narrative, and the fact they’re explored so explicitly and with so much detail, had a huge impact on my rating of this novel despite the fact that it’s constructed well with some elements that I did rather enjoy.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Medical trauma