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nicosta_music's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
As someone who is a connoisseur of werewolf novels, Mongrels immediately became one of my favorites. It starts off pretty slow and unremarkable as far as these kinds of books go, but by the end I was absolutely in love. The book has such strong and hard-hitting themes about human (or I guess non-human) nature and about how you define yourself, especially by those you surround yourself with. This book is definitely gory and brutal and doesn't pull any punches, but it performs in a way that really hammers home the wisdom it is imparting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Gun violence, Rape, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying and Vomit
apestforwrens's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is th best werewolf story I’ve ever seen. SGJ, as always, puts you right in the main character’s head and knows exactly what to write to get an emotional response.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
outerscout's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
found this veeery slow and hard to get into to the point where i kept putting it down for other books over 2 months, but then the ending made me cry a ton. writing is a bit difficult to visualize sometimes, something i noticed continues into the only good indians but found much improved by my heart is a chainsaw. wish there was more build-up to the main twist (?) re: the externimation company's werewolf piss slavery but the last part of the book was much more engaging, and love a good framing device reveal. i feel like i'd enjoy it more on a reread
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Confinement
Moderate: Torture, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
badgersorbet's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
jiggityjog's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
I thought this novel was a very unique, in-depth, & personal take on the classic werewolf tale, a horror sub-genre that I had considered played out (for the most part) prior to reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
If animal death particularly bothers you, you may want to pass on this book because there is a fair amount of it throughout.eevee314's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
SGJ is just next level. I wasnt even in the mood for this type of book currently but it was so compelling I just couldn't stop till I was done. The way he writes is both simple and wildly evocative. Hes excellent at capturing a feeling or action perfectly in as few words as possible.
A really new take on werewolves.
I wouldn't say it's scary like a horror movie but it's visceral and raw with horror elements.
A really new take on werewolves.
I wouldn't say it's scary like a horror movie but it's visceral and raw with horror elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death and Rape
witheringghoul's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Not bad but dogs die and that made me really sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
c_serpent's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was well written. I liked how the narrative switched back and forth between the main character's perspective and then a third-person perspective of different parts of his life. That was a cool narrative trick. I also really enjoyed how Jones took werewolf lore and just kind of ran wild (puns intended) with it. I liked the Americana voice. It was good horror-- spooky, unsettling, takes itself just seriously enough, feels just real enough, was pretty horrifying. Good job, Jones.
I didn't care about any of these characters, though, and I thought the ending was stupid. Actually why did Libby leave? Why. There was no reason for that to happen. It felt fake deep and really disappointed me from a literary perspective. It felt like "I want to end on a bittersweet note so his mom figure is gonna bop off into the woods forever. Nice, literary, I'm such a writer." Which is lame.
A star has been given for Libby and Darren's relationship because siblings are everything. A star has been given for the truck-stop, American Gothic, liminal space feeling that Jones crafts in this novel. A star has been awarded for Grace Ellen. A star has been removed for the death of a grizzly bear. Another star has been removed for a lot of the characters being unlovable, albeit realistic.
Total score: 3/5 stars
I didn't care about any of these characters, though, and I thought the ending was stupid.
A star has been given for Libby and Darren's relationship because siblings are everything. A star has been given for the truck-stop, American Gothic, liminal space feeling that Jones crafts in this novel. A star has been awarded for Grace Ellen. A star has been removed for the death of a grizzly bear. Another star has been removed for a lot of the characters being unlovable, albeit realistic.
Total score: 3/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body horror
Moderate: Gore and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
dornmoore's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body horror
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
eisenbuns's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape