Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

66 reviews

r_o_s_e's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Hate crime, Excrement, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic

agustdefault's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

4.5

i just finished reading this so my rating might change as i sit with it but i think this is going to stay with me for a while

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia and Vomit

emilyddd123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.0

The first scenes were tense and gripping. Sort of lost its pace near the middle, but it was still interesting. Lots of graphic violence. Reflective ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Grief

seeker42's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Grief

Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kellyofcali's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.75

A good horror novel - a bit more brutal and gruesome than expected, but I moved through it quickly, pushed on my growing tension and uncertainty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death

jessy4550's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

I liked the book, but I do wish the ending was a little longer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

sambowen's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

jackbifrost's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

james1star's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

This started started out really intriguing and had a lot of potential but definitely fell flat as the book developed in my opinion. I won’t mention any of the real plot other then we follow eleven-year-old Wen as she’s outside a cabin in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire when the seemingly friendly Leonard approaches her. Before long he and three fellow ‘companions’ make their true intentions known causing Wen to retreat into the cabin to her dads (YES it’s a gay family!) Eric and Andrew. When ensues is (taken from the BorrowBox blurb because I can be arsed) ‘an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined.’ I kind of agree with this but also I just couldn’t connect with the story, understand what was happening, properly get the messages/possible allegories, etc. on the whole there were just too many things that just didn’t sit right with me in terms of the plot or what the book was trying to do/say and in the end had no real lasting impact. 

The saving grace was the tormented family of adoptee Wen and husbands Eric and Andrew. I really enjoyed seeing a gay family being included in a horror/thriller type book where I feel the genre does maybe lack as much representation (or at least I’ve not explored it all that much to witness it) so it was refreshing to see. Tremblay also doesn’t exactly make their queerness the focus or a pivotal plot point in the book, it’s just a thriller that just so happens to include two gay characters and I loved that - why I rounded up instead of down (on goodreads). 

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Amy Landon and honestly I wouldn’t recommend this. It’s clear enough but just wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I didn’t particularly like the way she read out parts said by males (which is a large chunk of the book) and on the whole was quite meh. Maybe I’d have preferred the book had I read it physically and took my time with it but alas I didn’t so yhh… not for me but others may enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Cursing, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Murder

biab00's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

We wil go on 

I really didn't care for the story as a whole, maybe the writing itself didn't keep me interested but the more I think about the ending the better I think about the book. It makes sense imo.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic