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sleepyshelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I never thought when I was younger that my favorite part of the book would be the author's note or acknowledgements at the end, but Kiersten White's finak thoughts really made this whole book for me. There were so many choices that I couldn't quite understand, and reading her parting words, everything just...clicked.
This is a great book. It is a wonderful experience, and it draws so beautifully from its inspiration - though that's dark, bizarre, and even unexpectedly classical. I really feel as though the book suffered from its marketing and copy. The book design itself is gorgeous (shout out to books that tell you about the typeface used, you're the real ones!), BUT the jacket copy lends itself to a different narrative. One that sets readers up for a bit of a strange ride.
White's voice in this book is just so cinematic. I found myself reading passages aloud to my gf because they were just so cleverly rendered.
Ultimately, mixed feelings about it but generally very positive.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, and War
aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Lesbophobia, and Classism
booksofautumn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ecn's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
spellboundchapters's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
“Mack’s hungry, and she’s thirsty, and she’s tired. She doesn’t want to go back to camp, doesn’t want to see who’s not there, doesn’t want to think about what that might mean. It’s a game, yes. A game. A game run by people, and she understands perfectly well how monstrous people can be.”
This had a very strong start, and I thought Mack’s backstory was very interesting and wish it was used to its full potential.
My first issue was that there were just too many characters, I couldn’t remember who was who. Also could sense the unnecessary romance coming since Ava’s introduction haha. Then there is the pacing, it’s extremely slow and we spend more time in the characters’s heads, listening to their internal monologues, than on the action. Basically every time someone would get attacked, the scene would stop and we would move to a different POV… And don’t get me started on the ending. I usually like open endings in horror books but this one just felt extremely lazy and we are left with so many unanswered questions.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence and Grief
halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fourteen strangers are invited to play the game hide-and-seek, the winner receiving $50,000.
This reminded me of the movie Ready or Not, where the bride is sacrificed in their game of hide and seek.
Except, well, the players do not know whom is doing the seeking. The rules are vague, they sign a contract that doesn't hold the hosts liable for anything that happens to the players.
The premise of this game taking place at an abandoned amusement park is so cool, with so many places to hide. While the sun is up the players are to remain hidden and can only come out when the sun is setting.
Hide captivated my attention from the beginning, though the jumping around from character's flashbacks to the current time period... did keep throwing me off.
Their temporary guide, Linda, even throws in a fun quest of locating a leather bound book and returning it to her for a prize.
I knew there had to be more to it besides a "reality tv" game of hide-and-seek.
All of the questions and mystery are eventually answered and makes a lot of sense....a lot of twisted f'ed up sense.
This is one of the most morbid and on edge hide-and-seek thrillers. I would listen to this audiobook again.
Listening to many characters perspectives is a plus, getting to know them individually and eventually how they are all tied together.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
inkdrinkers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It will be incredibly hard to keep this spoiler free, but I am going to try my best. Hide is about Mack, a homeless woman in her late twenties who gets offered the chance of a lifetime - participate in a reality show and maybe walk away with $50,000. It would be a no-brainer for most, but the catch is the show revolves around a game of hide and seek - which has horrific ties to her past.
From the beginning, this had me hooked. The first 25% of the book is setting everything up, but it's a quick portion before the meat of the story that is absolutely necessary. I ran through it in 35 minutes, almost to the second - and when I got into the rest of the book I felt like screaming. The slow horror, the tension, and slowly realizing the plot was one of the best reading experiences I've had in a long time. This was horrific in the best of ways, and will continually stay with me for years.
This is a clear must-read for any thriller fan. It paces so extremely well and I LOVED the layout of the book. There are no true chapters, but it would have felt bogged down with them. The formatting is perfect and kept the story sprinting towards the end. I will say the switching point of views threw me at the beginning, but I caught up pretty quick and recognized the nuances between voices.
I don't know what else to say other than I absolutely loved this. I want a copy for my shelves, but I also want a hug from my mom because I'm genuinely terrified. At least I read it at night - and the monster doesn't come until dawn.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Classism
This is a place for me to scream about spoilers.