Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

119 reviews

ebee96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

It's honestly a little difficult to put in to words how I felt about this book... I was drawn in by the idea that it combined horror and art, but there is a quality about it that is just very different from most things I read. I think the best verbiage I can use, is to say that this book feels *grimy*...

I feel it compulsive, and was unable to put it down at points- while at the same time noting that it made me feel more uneasy than almost anything I have ever read before. It is profoundly disturbing. I have seen a few others describe it as a gender swapped American Psycho, and while yes, it sort of is- it feels like it goes further than that.

I found the way it explored women looking at men through the sort of objectifying and often violent lens, that we typically see men looking a women through fascinating- as much as it was terrifying. There is a point about 80% in, where everything just seems to happen at once and the insanity is turned up to 11. I can't exactly say I enjoyed it.. in all honesty I felt a little sick while reading it, but I understood what it was trying to say, and that I appreciated. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

quirksandcontradictions's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer

misunfortunate's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Animal cruelty

megusa98's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

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

3.5

The character in general is just unlikeable, and that kinda makes me dislike the book. There's not much character development, she remains narcissistic and the way she talks about herself is "pick me" and ahhh. 

I do like the story though, it did make me want to read on (mostly in the hopes that SOMEONE would humble the protagonist) Most of my reading of this was done in a 2hr time-blindness read between midnight and 2am.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion

itsameh's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Toxic friendship

emxly121's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

a_dorian's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Vomit, Murder, and Alcohol

lilyvs's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder

thesannaclause's review against another edition

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

3.25

holy shit. this book is insane. i did enjoy the unreliable narration and additions of texts and emails as a way of storytelling. the protagonist is so unlikable and by the end i truly couldn't fathom how she had anyone in her life. this was a challenging story in an easy to read format. i would 100% recommend reading the content warnings before reading <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Rape

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

unhingedreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

My current favourite book, I have recommended it to too many people to count. I have listed some trigger warnings attached to this review and this book will certainly not be for everyone. I would recommend the audiobook version as the author narrates it and it really adds to the experience.

This book is a very visceral read, without giving too much away it has an unreliable narrator and many twists and turns. 

Irina is the kind of friend that you warn people about, she is manipulative and gaslights those around her. Somewhat similar to a car crash scene that you know you shouldn’t look at, but can’t quite look away from. She has some interesting pastimes including drug and alcohol abuse, which she seems to utilise as a crutch to escape her current reality of the under appreciated artist. Apart from her bar job her main career focus is photographing generic looking men that she scouts on the streets of Newcastle. Her photography specialises on fetish art and the book follows her attempting to revive her career whilst being entirely horrible to anyone in her vicinity.

There’s many reasons I enjoyed this book, it sticks with you. Irina’s perspective will have you want to laugh at her dark wit and recoil at her true desires.

I have had the pleasure of meeting the author Eliza Clark who is a very down to earth person that writes some pretty messed up books. I would look into some of her interviews because I really think it adds to the overall narrative of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism