Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

129 reviews

errie's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Cannibalism

katemonster's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

I think the writing concept was interesting—the author interviewing people from the event. However, this book was not for me. It could be that I read it at the wrong time. I struggled to want to pick it up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder

nervesofscared's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

athnyx230's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Rape and Cannibalism

kaitlyn_mc's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism

dawnnamira's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

This is intense.

ethapagesofwonder's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Fantasticland was a unique reading experience for me, as I'd never encountered a book told entirely through interviews with survivors. The unconventional format, while intriguing, took me a while to get used to. The slow start made it difficult for me to fully engage with the story early on, but once the tension ramped up, I found myself hooked.

The multiple points of view added depth to the plot, but at the same time, the sheer number of characters made it hard to keep track of who belonged to which tribe. This often made the plot feel muddled and detached, which dampened the intensity of the survival story.

One aspect that I struggled with was the idea that the absence of internet or media access was enough to push the kids into acts of violence, torture, and even murder. I didn’t find this motive entirely convincing, and it didn’t seem like a strong enough catalyst to explain the extreme behavior the characters exhibited. The author seems to stress this point rather than focusing more on the failure of management authority and the fear of being trapped, which feel like more plausible reasons for the kids' descent into violence.

Overall, while the interview format and scattered character perspectives were disorienting at times, Fantasticland did manage to deliver a gripping survival tale once it found its stride. I suggest if you want to read this book, just go with the audiobook.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore

kristiforkinglovesbooks's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

chaoswizard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

caitlinbaltera's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Man this was DARK with very vivid descriptions of gore and violence. It's definitely not for the fainthearted, and it had me hooked straight from the beginning. I honestly would have liked to read more from the various perspectives but also realize the storytelling format doesn't lend itself to that sort of plotline. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence