Reviews

No One Gets Out Alive by Adam L.G. Nevill

shinynewjb's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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

 A young woman struggling against the gig economy and UK recession is forced to make choices which put her in a harrowing situation where a supernatural threat may be the least of her problems. The thing that makes this story absolutely terrifying is the fact that even though Stephanie must be one of the most resourceful horror protagonists ever put to page, her situation is still near impossible to escape. As always with Nevill's books, the combination of supernatural and eldritch horror is near perfection and provides some real chills right from the opening chapter. Thanks to the evocative prose, I could picture the grimy and run down Birmingham house with perfect clarity right down to the aged and peeling wallpaper and the filth encrusted carpets, adding to the feeling of desperation. The writing feels multisensory and the whole book is filled with sounds and smells which build the atmosphere immensely. There is violence and sexual violence here but none of it is written to titillate and Stephanie's character is not sexualised, which is refreshing to read in horror. The human villains are insidious and well crafted. Similar to Nevill's The Ritual, the book is split into two sections with the latter part growing the narrative whilst bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended! 

adriannasophiabookss's review against another edition

4.0

This was creepy AF. Real life horror is the scariest in my opinion. The weaving of supernatural elements into the story really worked in this case as well. I’m going to give the movie a go as well.

aimeebray's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

myoung1304's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

chigangrel's review against another edition

4.0

The first half is a solid 3 stars -mostly set up for the second half but has tense interpersonal moments that are especially hard for anyone who has been preyed on- but the story picks up for a strong second half at 4 stars, and I'm rounding up because I listened to the audiobook as narrated by Colleen Prendergast and she was GREAT.

For anyone who has seen the movie and is curious, I definitely recommend the book. The film changes the location and general situation of its heroine but the changes make sense for the new location, and the film greatly tightens the plot (but only adapts the first half of the book for some reason). I would love to see a more accurate adaptation of Nevill's novel though, because it's solid as is and has a nightmare end "twist" following the mid-twist.

Again though - if you've been in vulnerable situations, preyed upon, etc then this could be a hard read or listen for you in the first half. I almost dnf'd because it twisted my stomach so much, and it's clear that while Nevill gets some of what makes this situation particularly terrifying for the heroine, it's still clearly a man writing a women's experience he doesn't really understand and that gets a bit much at times.

Overall though this was a chilling and effective horror story that I really enjoyed in the end.

igotbigbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.5

ajmurphy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

2.75

myneighborbrotoro's review against another edition

1.0

This book realllllly dragged for me, maybe because it is a few different stories mashed together.

I felt like each chapter was repeated descriptions of the same few "spooky" events that never built into anything especially exciting. On top of that, the narrator incessantly analyzed each event in the same manner.

"Oh, there was a ghostly presence in my room....BUT HOW COULD THERE BE? For that would not be rational." For 620 pages. -_-

chrisg94's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

claudial666's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5