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Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

10 reviews

pinkfawn's review

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

3.0

In response to animal death TW: **UPSETTING
DOG
DEATH**

I picked this up, resonating with the feeling to losing my parents to right-wing media, always feeling solidarity with others who have experienced this. I think this story did a good job highlighting all of the seemingly harmless ways that people can be indoctrinated, sometimes without even knowing.

This book is very graphic and gory. It also won't leave you feeling good.

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ghostsymposium's review

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-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? No

4.5

Now THAT’s how you write an apocalypse story - no skimping on the details!!! You want colorful carnage and unarousing sexuality? At points it almost tops over to “too on the nose”, but I think it keeps its footing and doesn’t wimp out on the ending. Avoids the trap it seems to be headed into of typifying right vs. left and nails the landing. Thanks clay!

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katiebella_reads's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4⭐️

⚠️ They Ate The Dog!!!
Child mutilation, sexual horror, graphically gross, political horror

This book has no conventional chapters. There are some paragraph headings. Different dates, Povs, activities, and social media posts that are used as a placeholder. Some go on and on for pages. If you like short, easy chapters, this isn't the book for you.

This book highlights the differences between liberals and conservatives. It is a country divided by politics. It pokes fun at society and the news. Fox News is here Fax News. Providing false narrative to the nation. Indoctrination. All the horrors and travesties in this book seem to be perpetrated by the non-liberals/conservatives. Neither side is presented in a good light. Librals/democrats are weak, victims living inside little bubbles, hoping the world will protect them just because of their values. If you have firm political beliefs, this might not be the book for you.

Gross. Absolutely abhorrent. I couldn't tare myself away. Even in disgust, I read on. Transfixed by the narrative, I gagged my way through. The horror here is everything and the kitchen sink. Body horror, sexual parental horror, social horror, psychological horror, apocalyptic horror, splattering, and extreme. It's over the top and, at times, offensive. If you have a weak stomach, this might not be the book for you.

This is a possession story. Possession by media. How exposure to view points and ideas can possess who you are and how you function, much like a demon. This is a zombie story. Brainwashed to brain dead. The old adage of too much screen time zombifying.

This is fear and propaganda, conspiracy theories, and terrorism drawn out and twisted into a novel. Falsified school shooting to pass gun reform laws. Viruses started in labs in China.

I found the switching between third - and second person narratives a bit jarring. I understood the point the author was conveying. I just had a hard time with the second person, pov. I don't read a lot of YN stories.

This book really doesn't have that many bad reviews. This is mostly due to the fact that it is so incredibly well written that no matter your views, beliefs, or your gag reflex, you have to recognize that this is a phenomenally well written book. The other reason it doesn't have many bad reviews is that it seems to have an incredibly large number of DNFs. I can only surmise that this is due to the political nature of the book, along with its wildly disgusting content.

Many times, I wanted to DNF due to the revolting and nauseating themes presented in this novel. In the end, I'm glad I soldiered through it. The ending was phenomenal. I don't think I have the constitution to read another of his tales, but I'm satisfied with having read this. To those who DNFd before the halfway point - Try Again! It really truly does get better.

The onomatopoeia is hilarious in the book, though. 

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herasrevenge88's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0


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kkalicky94's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? No

5.0

If Clay McLeod Chapman has zero fans I am ✨dead✨ 

I don't know what he puts into his books to make them so damn good but I hope he never stops writing. This was a cool take on "zombies"/epidemic/brainwashing? I don't even know how to describe it honestly. It reminded me of American Rapture by CJ Leede but political instead of religious. I like to go into books blind and I think that's the best approach for this book as well because there's no way you can properly describe what happens in this book. I'm sure for a lot of people it'll be a book they love or hate but I personally loved it ☺️

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1ightcap's review against another edition

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

3.0

Eugh. I wanted there to be something sharper. I don't know, there was something wierd the whole time.  Why do the faux fox but name checks Anderson Cooper all the time. I don't know if the author really had a point or just wanted to use conspiracy brain as a backdrop.  More Squick than horror. Body horror, wierd incest vibes. Disappointing after some of the more razor maneuvers in Tell Me I'm Worthless 

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ajslifelibrary's review

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challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5


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ellereadsalottt's review against another edition

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medium-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? It's complicated

3.75


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questionablereads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is apocalyptic/social commentary horror that follows a family who went down a facts news rabbit  hole only to become hyper sexualized/violent and downright disgusting. This end of the world epidemic caused by conservative media channels was wonderful, bloody, and entertaining. If you're someone with more conservative values, this will offend you. 

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justanotherfinalgirlreview's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The Devil is in the Fine Print of the Terms and Conditions of Your Social Media Accounts: How obsession with technology and mediated communition can lead to our possession


The US of A is just more fun than hell.  Fact.”

Clay McCleod Chapman’s ‘Wake Up and Open Your Eyes’ examines American oversaturation of media in our daily lives, our obsession and addiction and inability to live without it. It takes the absurdity and horror of real life events and exaggerates them to a point where we can see that not only have we become desensitized to the ridiculousness and horror of real life mediated communication but also that we are not using our own common sense to question the information we receive, nor do we look for secondary sources to make informed judgments. Poking fun at Covid misinformation, political conspiracy to theories, Fox News and their fake news disinformation, the green health/yoga mom lifestyle, baby shark and more. 
Clay seems to have found out why this is all been normalized and what has been happening to our loved ones and wants to warn us about what could happen if we keep turning a blind eye. Demons have infiltrated our media industries at the highest level and have planned an hostile takeover from within. 


“You believe that? Only in motherfucking America . . . These possessed assholes are turning our country into their own personal playground.”


The second half reads like a terrifying choose your own adventure story: survival horror edition starring yourself (the reader) in the main role of Noah, only problem is you have no real choices as fate has already predetermined your path for you. 

“Their chyron flashes BREAKING NEWS, but isn’t news always breaking nowadays? Isn’t the news all broken by now? Smashed to bits?”

Format:
Novel
MultiplePov including 3rd person narration, epistolary transcripts and 2nd person narration 


Genre:
Horror
-survival 
-techno horror
-possession
-comedy horror 
Science Fiction
General Adult Fiction

“She had to find herself again. Reclaim herself. Salvage her inner goddess. Where better to look for spiritual guidance than on Instagram?”

For fans of:
The Cell - Stephen King
Kurt Vonnegut 
Fahrenheit 451 -Ray Bradbury
It- Stephen King

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