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le_mur's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Gore, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
ireadinbed's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
My enjoyment of this book vascilated wildly over the course of reading.
I didnt enjoy the voice of the main point of view and i felt misled by the reviews that led me to read it because it was very little about the titular club and i was super into that idea. Lol.
But im also super interested in the new england vampire panic so i started off kind of excited but it just got less and less interesting as the story devolved into 20 years of . . .depression i guess? By the end i was just disappointed because nothing really revealed or solidified and im a reader who prefers things to be less amorphous i guess.
I did really enjoy the final pages from the Possible vampires perspective. True or not it was very touching!
The style of the actual writing was not really for me. (Though i loved the atypical formatting and totally want to read more books that are annotated by characters that reveal the narrators reliability!) I think i probably wont revisit the author.
I didnt enjoy the voice of the main point of view and i felt misled by the reviews that led me to read it because it was very little about the titular club and i was super into that idea. Lol.
But im also super interested in the new england vampire panic so i started off kind of excited but it just got less and less interesting as the story devolved into 20 years of . . .depression i guess? By the end i was just disappointed because nothing really revealed or solidified and im a reader who prefers things to be less amorphous i guess.
I did really enjoy the final pages from the Possible vampires perspective. True or not it was very touching!
The style of the actual writing was not really for me. (Though i loved the atypical formatting and totally want to read more books that are annotated by characters that reveal the narrators reliability!) I think i probably wont revisit the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Death of parent
ravenpuff's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
dreamdoughnut's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
2.5
I have torn through many of Tremblay’s other novels so I was eagerly awaiting the Pallbearers Club. It didn’t grip me in the same way. Most of his other novels are fast-paced, starring out the gate with horror. This one dragged.
I think my main issue is that Art is incredibly unlikeable. I love a narrator that is flawed and unreliable but ultimately you want to relate to that character. He was vulnerable but blamed everyone but himself for his problems. He reminded me of an ex of mine, so maybe that’s a personal problem.
It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read. It just wasn’t a nail-biter like Tremblay’s other novels.
I think my main issue is that Art is incredibly unlikeable. I love a narrator that is flawed and unreliable but ultimately you want to relate to that character. He was vulnerable but blamed everyone but himself for his problems. He reminded me of an ex of mine, so maybe that’s a personal problem.
It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read. It just wasn’t a nail-biter like Tremblay’s other novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
queergoth_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I got this eARC from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own.
I was super excited when I got this request approved. I was a huge horror fan as a teen and I'm slowly getting back into it. Earlier this year I started reading books by Paul Tremblay and honestly they were right up my street to I jumped at the chance to read this. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me in the same way as some of his other works. This book is framed as a memoir with editing notes from his friend. I really like this concept. It allowed for so much more nuance in the story. The author really captured Art's voice so well. It really came across like the memoir it's supposed to be. However, I felt like that was a double edged sword. It was very much written in Art's voice but honestly I didn't like Art or his writing. It grated on me a lot and I really only pushed through because I wanted to see where it was going. The notes were a nice break. It was nice to have this dual POV almost. I don't know if it was because it was an ebook but I'd have loved to have seen these note set up more like someone was writing in the margins but that might have broken the flow a bit. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed. The ending was really perfect and I think it made up for the effort it took me to get through to the end.
I was super excited when I got this request approved. I was a huge horror fan as a teen and I'm slowly getting back into it. Earlier this year I started reading books by Paul Tremblay and honestly they were right up my street to I jumped at the chance to read this. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me in the same way as some of his other works. This book is framed as a memoir with editing notes from his friend. I really like this concept. It allowed for so much more nuance in the story. The author really captured Art's voice so well. It really came across like the memoir it's supposed to be. However, I felt like that was a double edged sword. It was very much written in Art's voice but honestly I didn't like Art or his writing. It grated on me a lot and I really only pushed through because I wanted to see where it was going. The notes were a nice break. It was nice to have this dual POV almost. I don't know if it was because it was an ebook but I'd have loved to have seen these note set up more like someone was writing in the margins but that might have broken the flow a bit. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed. The ending was really perfect and I think it made up for the effort it took me to get through to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Medical content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse