Reviews with content warning for Self harm - The Haar

Now THIS is the most romantic I ever want horror to be. I really loved this story. It’s thoughtful and sentimental and sad and gross!!!! The body horror is outrageous. I loved every second of it. And the connection to the sea!!!! Ugh. I just love the ocean. The atmosphere in this was just superb. There was a couple of aspects I found a little ridiculous but it didn’t pull me out of the story. I would really not be surprised if this is made into a movie soon (a24 is my hope but my luck is a Hulu original).

I am just so happy that this was the 100th book I read this year!!!! 🥹🖤

p.s. I’ve never read a monsterfucker book but I think this falls in the category somehow— but in the most chill way if that makes sense? Like it’s not a monsterfucker book but it has monsterfucker elements. At least questionable ones for me.

Like, he’s for sure a monster and she absolutely fucks him. But he’s human when they have sex (specifically in a human suit of her dead husband). Like I think that counts, right??

Either way, I respect it. Get it, Muriel.

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sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

After hearing about this book online from a few influencers, I was intrigued by the plot. It is definitely bizarre and darkly hilarious with a beautiful message at the end.

I did find the antagonist, Patrick Grant, to be a bit 2-dimensional, so the kills didn’t feel as scary as one could expect as you were generally cheering for the monster. While that can be great for some, I definitely enjoy more intriguing bad guys.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in indie horror or Scottish folk tales. There is also some great dark humor.

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raybudbury's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Loved this one a lot. Very heartwarming and charming for how gnarly the horror/gore was.

I think this is a great example of an excellent horror story imo. Horror seems to be the hardest genre to write/direct. It’s hard to pace, it’s hard to make text/visuals scary, etc.

This one is great because it uses both humour and heart to balance out the gore and horror of the situation.

+ it’s more like…. Is this monster really the bad guy in this situation or is it the big corporation that destroyed this small Scottish town to blame for the carnage

anyway loved it.

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raven_nivhaar's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

3.0

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gnarlyrae's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Surprisingly charming and sweet for a book with so much eyeball mutilation!! Check the CWs, but I think this could be a great one for someone wanting to check out a gory horror book that isn't too mean-spirited.

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