agamblereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
spooky_librarian's review against another edition
5.0
Let me start by saying there's a good chance many will not feel this book is for them for the same reasons I assumed it wouldn't be for me. It's slow-simmering, psychological horror with a writing style that many might label as "pretentious". But that's okay. To each their own. If you are that person, skip this book.
But if you are a reader who loves their horror novels to unnerve them while simultaneously having the senses bombarded with symbolic imagery and writing that is both beautiful and vicious: this might be for you.
JAWBONE follows a clique of wealthy, bored, teenage girls who spend a lot of their free time after school hanging out in an abandoned building, telling each other scary stories and testing the group's durability with dangerous dares—jumping from high places, punching each other in the stomach, strangling one another until unconscious--ya know, normal teen girl stuff. The leader of this clique is Annelise and she is a fearsome creature to behold. A lover of cosmic horror and “creepypastas”, Annelise invents what she calls the White God—"white" representing an unsoiled canvas, the possibility of corruption, a fathomless fear— and she gets her friends to “play along” in her strange rituals of worship (again…just your everyday teen girl stuff). There is also another story happening with Annelise’s best friend Fernanda, who has been kidnapped and being held captive by their literature teacher, Miss Clara.
I loved this book, and was surprised when I realized this fact because horror with this sort of writing style--lyrical with very little dialogue--is rarely my cup of tea. I tend to space out or get lost. Shockingly that wasn’t the case with JAWBONE. I was unsettled the entire time, questioning the sanity and reliability of each character’s perspective, and found myself wondering if Annelise’s imagination could have power not only over her friends, but the readers as well. I was fully intrigued by this anti-heroine who is manipulative and intelligent and terrifying. Author Monica Ojeda weaves a very raw, dark tapestry of themes: female sexuality, girlhood, mother/daughter relationships, religion, purity, and adolescence. Seeing as this book was translated from Spanish to English, I truly hope Ojeda’s other works of horror make it to the States so I can read more. She has gained a new fan!
But if you are a reader who loves their horror novels to unnerve them while simultaneously having the senses bombarded with symbolic imagery and writing that is both beautiful and vicious: this might be for you.
JAWBONE follows a clique of wealthy, bored, teenage girls who spend a lot of their free time after school hanging out in an abandoned building, telling each other scary stories and testing the group's durability with dangerous dares—jumping from high places, punching each other in the stomach, strangling one another until unconscious--ya know, normal teen girl stuff. The leader of this clique is Annelise and she is a fearsome creature to behold. A lover of cosmic horror and “creepypastas”, Annelise invents what she calls the White God—"white" representing an unsoiled canvas, the possibility of corruption, a fathomless fear— and she gets her friends to “play along” in her strange rituals of worship (again…just your everyday teen girl stuff). There is also another story happening with Annelise’s best friend Fernanda, who has been kidnapped and being held captive by their literature teacher, Miss Clara.
I loved this book, and was surprised when I realized this fact because horror with this sort of writing style--lyrical with very little dialogue--is rarely my cup of tea. I tend to space out or get lost. Shockingly that wasn’t the case with JAWBONE. I was unsettled the entire time, questioning the sanity and reliability of each character’s perspective, and found myself wondering if Annelise’s imagination could have power not only over her friends, but the readers as well. I was fully intrigued by this anti-heroine who is manipulative and intelligent and terrifying. Author Monica Ojeda weaves a very raw, dark tapestry of themes: female sexuality, girlhood, mother/daughter relationships, religion, purity, and adolescence. Seeing as this book was translated from Spanish to English, I truly hope Ojeda’s other works of horror make it to the States so I can read more. She has gained a new fan!
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The degree with which I loved this book has be wondering if I’m ok. Like emotionally.
If I had to quickly summarize this book I’d say it’s Heathers meets the Craft meets Psycho. It’s about mean girls and toxic friendships and obsession and madness.
This book places queer, female desire at its center as it explores the horrors of adolescence and aging, the thin line between pleasure and pain, and the many dualities of womanhood. It combines angst and madness in a way that cautions (strongly) against uncontrolled desire.
Jawbone is a truly disturbing book. Not just with its imagery (which can be downright gross) but also with the very composition of the prose. With each subordinate clause and parenthetical remark within parenthetical remark, the reader grows more and more uncomfortable and the foreboding and claustrophobic atmosphere intensifies.
This is Ojeda’s first book to be translated into English and all I can say is man, I can’t wait for more.
If I had to quickly summarize this book I’d say it’s Heathers meets the Craft meets Psycho. It’s about mean girls and toxic friendships and obsession and madness.
This book places queer, female desire at its center as it explores the horrors of adolescence and aging, the thin line between pleasure and pain, and the many dualities of womanhood. It combines angst and madness in a way that cautions (strongly) against uncontrolled desire.
Jawbone is a truly disturbing book. Not just with its imagery (which can be downright gross) but also with the very composition of the prose. With each subordinate clause and parenthetical remark within parenthetical remark, the reader grows more and more uncomfortable and the foreboding and claustrophobic atmosphere intensifies.
This is Ojeda’s first book to be translated into English and all I can say is man, I can’t wait for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Body horror, Kidnapping, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Blood, Excrement, Sexism, Child death, Classism, Cannibalism, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death
breadsalot's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ceri's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
missmelia's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahweyand's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-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
3.25
Sometimes the weird fiction just be too weird for me. I'd probably argue against this being marketed as a horror novel, I'm pretty liberal with what books I would deem to be a part of the genre but I don't think this is one of them. I will say, the prose is a treat. I would love to compare the original Spanish publication and the translator's work; I found the translator's note in the back to be very interesting and would implore you to read it before you read the book. It would have greatly added to my experience and I wish it had been placed before the text.
Overall I would say this book was interesting and I'm glad I read it. I don't think I would recommend it to most people, but the plot certainly was unique. I liked the alternating perspectives and timeline and I think it helped to humanize all our characters, even though I never particularly liked or cared about any of them. I also think there's a lot of symbolism that can be deeply dissected and discussed, if you're into that sort of thing. I definitely got the gist but I could feel so much of it going over my head.
Full half star off for the poor formatting. Long blocks of text with little dialogue or paragraph breaks is exhausting for the mind and it took me a long time to read a not-very-long book.
Overall I would say this book was interesting and I'm glad I read it. I don't think I would recommend it to most people, but the plot certainly was unique. I liked the alternating perspectives and timeline and I think it helped to humanize all our characters, even though I never particularly liked or cared about any of them. I also think there's a lot of symbolism that can be deeply dissected and discussed, if you're into that sort of thing. I definitely got the gist but I could feel so much of it going over my head.
Full half star off for the poor formatting. Long blocks of text with little dialogue or paragraph breaks is exhausting for the mind and it took me a long time to read a not-very-long book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Kidnapping
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
mmsnz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
dianaholguin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75