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caspian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Kidnapping
smugsnail's review against another edition
3.0
I had this book sitting on my TBR for three years and finally got around to reading it. It was. Okay. I love vampires, I love the idea of vampires on an open road (my favorite film ever is "The Lost Boys" and I also adore "Near Dark"), but this didn't do it for me. I don't think the book was bad, but it felt too much like the author was trying to write like 70s/80s Stephen King while missing the earnestness of King's prose that it didn't work for me.
madsthemads's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.75
fiatpeek's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
pinkdiscoball's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ecooper99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is the second book I've read by Buehlman, and while I enjoyed The Necromancer's House more, this one still kept me entertained for the most part.
Let's start with the basics: these are not your sparkly, sexy vampires. They’re vicious, sadistic, and cruel monsters who terrorize the highways in muscle cars. I appreciated the gritty, no-nonsense approach to vampire lore, but I wish I'd liked the main character more. Judith's motivations and actions often felt more in service of the plot rather than being driven by genuine character development. For instance, her relationship with one of the vampires made zero sense to me. It was rushed and sudden, clearly a plot device rather than a believable relationship. Her decision to enter a convent and take vows also seemed to serve the plot more than her character's journey.
One section of the book focuses on the vampires' victims, each chapter from a different victim's POV, ending with their death. This approach seemed to hammer home the sadism of the vampires, but it felt repetitive. There are better ways to show their cruelty without these interludes that didn't really add much to the overall narrative. (I also thought the book could have been 50-100 pages shorter overall.)
Sometimes Buehlman's writing is absolutely beautiful, and the rest of the story just doesn't live up to his poetic turns of phrase. So while I kept turning pages, I also kept hoping for... more. More emotion. More genuine scares instead of explosions and gore. More... humanity.
Still, The Suicide Motor Club is fast-paced, action-oriented, and a quick, easy read. The ending is wide open for a sequel, but I have no need to read it.
stracker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
christophehermans's review against another edition
4.0
A non-linear revenge tale involving muscle cars and vampires, headlined by a wronged mother turnt nun. Very Tarantino-esque.