Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

93 reviews

aidualc_clau's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Torture

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

lizzyspooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, and Physical abuse

erinjeanette's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Grief, and Stalking

Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

amandalachelle's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

_thugbug_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

Not very often does a book have me shook like this one did. 

All I can say is bravo! that is some of the best character development I have read in the past couple years. And MAN, was I wrong with my predictions.

This book will shock you, put your brain on hold, flip what you think upside down…then give you a hug. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I know this book is considered horror, but I think it’s more accurate to call it psychological. Reminds me of how I felt watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Ted is a character for whom I’ll have infinite compassion. Dee, less so, but she too could benefit from kindness and therapy. I feel so deeply and heavily sorry for Ted. This may be the best fictional work I’ve read on DID. It’s a rare disorder but one that those who suffer from it could be greatly helped if we had more books about it, both fictional and scientific.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bail33's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Holy shit? Not much to say other than I've never read a book like this before. This was a rollercoaster of emotions and if nothing else, this book is extremely effective at getting you to feel such a wide range of emotions. Not much you really can say without spoiling it. I'll genuinely be thinking about this for the rest of my life. Soooo many TWs though, take a look if you're triggered (even a little bit) by anything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, and Alcohol

bickleyhouse's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. Just wow. I just finished this book, about five minutes ago, and I am almost in shock. This is a book that starts out being one thing and gradually becomes something totally different by the end, and I didn't see that coming at ALL!! About halfway through, I started getting an idea, but even that was pretty far off the mark.

This book starts off being about a guy named Ted. Ted lives alone in a house that he keeps boarded up so the light doesn't get in through the windows. It becomes pretty obvious, pretty quickly that Ted is mentally "challenged," "disturbed," or whatever word you want to use. 

Then we get introduced to "Lauren," his daughter, and "Olivia," his cat. 

Eventually, it becomes clear that there is something beyond strange going on, here. My head was spinning by the end of the book. Not literally, of course, that would be bad. 

And then I read the author's Afterword, which pretty much brought me to tears. I can't really divulge any more, at this point, without serious spoilage, and that would just be wrong. Yes, this is a "horror" book. It is psychological horror at its finest, in my opinion.

But it is oh, so much more than that. 

This was my first book by Ms. Ward, and you can be sure I will read more!

I recommend this book for horror lovers, especially psychological horror, but be warned. It is rough and it is VERY disturbing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

lilsteegs's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

kietz's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I really enjoyed this. I think the twist centered around the story is very well done and the author shows a lot of empathy and kindness toward the main character that would have been exploited by a lesser author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Violence