Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Red X by David Demchuk

13 reviews

takecoverbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

5.0

Daring, tragic, horrifying, and inventive in equal measure, Red X is one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Just, all the trigger warnings. It’s a lot.

maggiegould's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

so i just. don't read horror all that often. not usually my cup of tea. i love horror elements within texts and media, but horror itself i have never really been overly drawn to. red x, though, i had to read for a class (queer literature in Canada), and boy, am i glad i did. scary, insightful, heartbreaking, moving, anger-inducing, and funny, i don't think i have ever enjoyed reading a book for a class as much as i did this one. it is not an easy read: it is graphic, unsettling, and weird. you certainly could not read it if you were homophobic. but the payoff, especially when you consider the real-life events that inspired this book, is more than worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment

spuriouseden's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Really liked this overall, though I’d encourage readers to check content/trigger warnings. I gained perspective on a period of history during which I was young and sheltered, and felt like I could better appreciate the lived experience of people who were in the thick of it. 

I listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed the performance, but I also feel like I might have followed better in print, where it’s easier to flip back and forth and refer to earlier scenes. I’m not saying it’s necessary to do so, but I feel like print would have improved my comprehension. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Torture, Transphobia, Police brutality, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

moz_art's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

technically not the best book ever written, very disjointed at times, but I can’t deny the dread it filled me with as soon as I picked it up and will linger for a long time after I finished. Absolutely horrific. Total respect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Suicide

wyabook234's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Police brutality, and Death of parent

revolverreads's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

This month at Revolver Reads, we found ourselves biting a surprise bullet in the chamber with David Demchuk, Red X. We had mistakenly thought that this would be an interesting piece shining some light onto the victims and atrocities of Bruce McArthur, a man that spanned years haunting the gay village of Toronto. But alas, we were wrong. 

The stories of Red X span across generations, where a cursed red book dooms select members of the gay community around Toronto. It centers around less than a handful of consistent characters, but each chapter is almost as repetitive as the previous. There is a new character introduced, we get their first and last name, a sprinkle of why they are in the city and how they are struggling, and finally the red notebook makes an appearance. 

Bonus points if the chapter describes a mysterious boy with black hair lingering in the fringes. That’s our baddie, the resident fairy that is killing the characters we are introduced to. If you’re confused about him being a fairy, join the club. 

The most frustrating part isn’t the subsections where the author inserts himself as a character, but rather the fact that you CAN see the potential that this narrative could have had. The LGBTQ+ community, the blind eye that is turned when they go missing, the way their found families try to come together for answers and justice, these are all things he ALMOST manages to incorporate and make interesting, but the effort falls flat.

We do have to hand it to Demchuk, because he was able to keep us interested with descriptions of the LGBTQ+ history of Toronto, winding us through the familiar streets and locations we’ve walked past ourselves. It gave us a new perspective for the city we love. Another part that caught our interest for a hot second, was the author's own insight into his personal history. For a moment you see the potential this author has for horror. But that is unfortunately all this book does, it constantly edges you, lets you think it’s going to get interesting, and then puts you to sleep faster than that Amazon white noise machine you’ve purchased. 

This might be our first one star, but come join our meltdown at Revolver Reads: A Book Club Russain Roulette on your podcast platform of choice, or @revolverreads on instagram, and let us know what you think! We are also ALWAYS keeping our eyes peeled for new reads to add to our list, so feel free to message us on instagram with your suggestions, or email us at [email protected]

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder

maddireads13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

blood's review against another edition

really unique one but i am kind of surprised i haven't heard more about it given what it is. gay horror that breaks and blurs the fourth wall, fiction interspersed with essay and memoir, ensemble cast of characters, spanning the 80s to 2016. truly creeped me out like my arm hair was standing up. someone i know read this so we can talk about it please.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Murder

danidamico's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

En el año 2018, la policía canadiense detuvo a un sujeto sospechado de haber asesinado a ocho personas, en su mayoría hombres gay, en Toronto entre 2010 y 2017. Uno de esos hombres, Andrew Kinsman, era un activista importante en la comunidad LGBTQ+ de la zona y amigo del escritor David Demchuk. Eventualmente, se comprobó que el detenido era culpable de los crímenes y fue condenado a veinticinco años de prisión. A partir de este suceso, Demchuk empezó a construir lo que más tarde sería Red X, un mosaico basado en datos históricos, experiencias propias, folklore escocés y ficción.

A lo largo de cinco capítulos, vamos siguiendo las desapariciones de un grupo de hombres y el sufrimiento de sus amigos y seres queridos, sumidos en la incertidumbre. Es muy difícil sintetizar todo lo que sucede en esta novela y mis sentimientos al respecto. Me gustó muchísimo, es un libro que parece estar en un estado constante de desborde: voces desesperadas que buscan sobrevivir, que buscan compañía, amor, no quedarse solos ni ser olvidados. Esa urgencia atraviesa todo el texto.

Si bien es un libro en el que predomina el miedo, entre todo ese sufrimiento aparecen destellos de comunidad, de amor, de aquellos que no olvidan a los que ya no están en este mundo. Red X es terrorífico, pero en su centro hay un corazón humano que late y persiste. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

skeletonsinmysleeves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia