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amp18's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Police brutality, Medical content, and Grief
jourdanicus'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? It's complicated
3.75
It's not that the book was ruined by the frequent mentions of vaxxing, masking, and covid. It was just laid on so thick. The story would have been better served by briefer mentions or letting the reader assume continuity in the characters' behavior. I also felt kinda off about the very black and white, "this person got covid so they died and probably deserved it because they didn't get vaxxed."
An earlier-in-the-pandemic version of myself honestly would probably have appreciated all that, because there was a long chunk of time where it felt uncanny to read or watch anything fictional that didn't mention covid. But this was too much. I also felt like I didn't get enough "oofs" from Holly. She didn't quite seem like herself, but maybe I was just distracted by yet another character encouraging her to unmask because they'd "gotten the jab!"
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Cannibalism
Minor: Alcoholism and Cancer
nicoletiff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
fkshg8465's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
occultmorning'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Alcohol
eadrianschmitz'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
klosterphobia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
As someone who aligns with King's and Holly's liberal perspective, it's disappointing that the novel misses opportunities to delve into the parallels between the killer's obsession with health and the proliferation of dubious COVID cures, a potential avenue for poignant social commentary that remains unexplored.
A notable issue arises in the portrayal of race and violence against Black men throughout the narrative. The treatment of this sensitive topic by an older white male author feels somewhat off, with the racism exhibited by the main antagonists coming across as a caricature rather than a meaningful exploration that adds depth to the narrative.
Despite these shortcomings, King's ability to captivate readers remains powerful. Even when the "whodunnit" aspect is apparent early on, the looming sense of doom as the story progresses keeps the pages turning. However, the fairy tale-like ending feels formulaic and lacks the excitement or novelty.
Holly entertains but falls short of its potential to engage deeply with complex societal issues and deliver a truly satisfying and thought-provoking narrative.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Gore, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
theraccoonqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have loved seeing her development from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy to The Outsider and now. I did not realize If It Bleeds was supposed to be read before Holly, but I wasn’t too horribly lost by not having read it.
The Harrises were quite frankly some of the most disturbing antagonists that King has written that are just purely human. There’s nothing supernatural about them. They’re just a couple of old people who have more than a few screws loose in their heads. This was like horror and crime/mystery wrapped up into one and I was absolutely here for it.
I felt that it was a good pace and I love that we got more of Holly’s internal push and pull on why she does what she does. Definitely a great read and I’ll recommend to anyone who enjoys horror and thriller and won’t be butthurt by Holly’s perception of anti-vaxxers.
TW/CW for this book are as follows (I added what I could remember off the top of my head but I did find a comprehensive list online for the rest):
Cannibalism
Homophobia
Racism
Abortion
Cancer
COVID
Sexual harassment
Rape
School shooting
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Cancer and Rape
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Sexual harassment
minimicropup'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? No
5.0
- Check the content heads-up because COVID pandemic times were prominent. It brought out all my gratefulness that we are no longer in 2021-2022, while also giving nostalgic feels for the quieting down of the world. But it could be too soon, too much, or too political depending on reader experiences.
- My favourite tropes + slow-burn made this a perfect match for me. If you’re looking for nuanced (or zero) COVID themes, or something where the stakes remain high and are plot driven, it could feel never-ending.
- Forever Young. Footsteps. Car doors. Skateboards. Doorbells. Silence. Knife chopping. Aromatic roast smells. Dessert spoons clinking. Zoom calls.
- Immersive, cinematic style strangeness and descriptive food and body horror
- Demented serial killer psychoanalysis
- Co-sleuthing with private investigator, missing persons mysteries
Graphic: Confinement and Cannibalism
Moderate: Body horror, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, and Dementia
exhaustedmumma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, and Dementia