Scan barcode
cyskafoxtail's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ein relativ kurzes Buch für das ich jetzt doch ziemlich lange gebraucht habe, ich kam nur schwer rein und fand den Schreibstil etwas over the top für was es war.
Die Charaktere wurden einem innerhalb einer Seite vorgestellt und es hat gedauert bis ich da durchgeschaut hab.
Hauptcharaktere haben lange gebraucht bis sie Substanz hatten und der Plot wurde erst auf den letzten 50 Seiten wirklich interessant.
Der Humor und das Ende haben es schließlich ein three star read gemacht und nicht weniger obwohl ich für die Auflösung echt länger drüber nachdenken musste um es nachvollziehen zu können.
Die Charaktere wurden einem innerhalb einer Seite vorgestellt und es hat gedauert bis ich da durchgeschaut hab.
Hauptcharaktere haben lange gebraucht bis sie Substanz hatten und der Plot wurde erst auf den letzten 50 Seiten wirklich interessant.
Der Humor und das Ende haben es schließlich ein three star read gemacht und nicht weniger obwohl ich für die Auflösung echt länger drüber nachdenken musste um es nachvollziehen zu können.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Sexism
islesbiyana's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
“That was an asshole thing for me to say,” she finally muttered. “I know you’re—look, you should know that even before all this, you weren’t the worst, by far. Mostly douche by association. Douche-adjacent.”
“You’re not wrong, though,” I said, sighing, not bothering to hide a chuckle. Douche adjacency. I’d practically lettered in it.
rating — 3 stars ★★★☆☆
Frightmares' entire premise and setting seemed to have been right up my alley. Given the length and decent ensemble, I was expecting a time-limited situation where each character got killed off one by one. Sadly, the strengths of the book stop at the strong set-ups and thrilling driving force at the beginning. Immediately after the conflict's introduction, Gibson decides to focus more on the least interesting parts such as the chemistry-less relationship between Dave and his love interest, Maya. I didn't mind it first, but most of the time, I kept waiting for the story to switch back to exploring the possible secrets of the Frightmares facility which, annoyingly enough, didn't happen much. There was one part where Dave needed to return inside the building to retrieve something, which could've had the potential to be an entire scenario, only for nothing to happen. It only cuts to him mentioning it in passing like "anyway, after making a big deal out of it, we got the thing and left." A good chunk of the middle spends its time outside the facility with the duo just theorizing which caused the book to lose so much of the needed tension.
I personally would've liked less of the Dave/Maya tag-team and more exposure on Dave's co-workers; lack of such contributed to the shallow narrative. I wish there had been more of a "whodunit" mystery going on with possible easter eggs and red herrings all around. Also, for some reason, I hadn't expected this book to be YA, so I had expectations for it to be more… gruesome and sinister. That didn't really hinder the experience, but a part of me still wished that it had been a bit more brutal.
Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying the banter between the characters. Gibson has a knack for writing characters like actual people (quite a rarity, especially in YA). Their writing is nothing spectacular, but it's still solid and engaging enough for this to be a worthwhile read. I feel like if you're an avid horror/thriller enthusiast, this book might disappoint you for not fully harnessing the possible strengths. However, if you're not too finicky and just want an easy read that's neither too gorey nor too terrifying, then might I suggest giving Frightmares a chance!
Also: I wouldn't mind seeing this adapted into a movie (hopefully with a diverse cast like how I pictured)—I do think that it has the potential to be a fun watch!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Drug use
More...