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aromarrie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
if there was a top three category of books i cherish with my whole life, this one is definitely it.
i loved nick & sam’s pov’s so much the first time and fell back in love with it again in this reread. and that bittersweet feeling pervaded throughout the whole story as always!! especially in all of sam’s terror disguised with wise cracks + nick’s awe of the mountains that veered into possessive territory.
absolutely wicked atmosphere, with so much striking detail, it made the horror hit harder (that and the love story that tangled in between). the vivid details would be a hit or miss for some, all of its long monologues and such, but i adored it.
i’ve always loved horror legends and sam’s childhood fascination with it made the events that unfolded feel even more surreal.
this story has stuck with me since 2021, and the numb feeling i felt at the ending was as strong as ever in 2024 and i feel relieved. because it confirmed how much nick & sam’s story has still stuck with me, that i could relive that first moment of grief with them :’)
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content
jane_moriarty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide
torismazarine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
liltakeawaygirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, and Alcohol
cosmicpanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
svnsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.75
I do wonder though, if the German edition, which I read, was somehow dragged out much longer than the english one for example - it has about 300 pages more I think.
The story jumps from here to there, it feels like it's lacking structure.
The first chapter was honestly the only time I was spooked, after that it was all sort of whatever.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
shadowspinner's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction and Violence
Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Death of parent
theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
marleens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I like Olde Heuvelt’s writing style, but in this book it was a bit odd. Very stream of consciousness sometimes, and a strange mixture of first and second person, often switching mid-sentence. It made sense, because you could definitely feel the characters losing their grip on reality, but it did make it hard to read sometimes. Also, I think it was a bit longer than it needed to be. But I liked our main POVs and the weirdness did often work for me.
Still, that brilliant creepy opening paragraph might have been the best part for me…
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death
falchionm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror and Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse