Scan barcode
meganemarshall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I'm not gonna sit here and argue if it was believable or not. It's a book. It's fiction.
However, most of the MC in this book are teenagers or early 20 somethings, and they are morons on their best days. So I just allowed that to just take me through the book. And I got to enjoy reading it without contemplating some bigger picture, like if it could happen or if it was ridiculous or not.
The only part of this book that fails is characterization. Cause it's written in the interview style, you don't really get to dive deep into any particular character. Brock pops up the most, and he is the main boogeyman. There's just no great character arch for anyone in the book, which is the only thing it falls flat on. However, I think the plot, the setting, the grittiness, and the horror/gore make up for it.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Cannibalism
effaly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The story is revealed through interviews with several people who were there after Sadie hit Fantasticland. At first, I really liked the idea. It made it all feel so much more personal to hear from the characters directly what it was like and what each and everyone saw, thought and felt. However, it became very quickly very repetitive. There are events and people that were described over and over again, to the point where they lost their "punch". When you read some stuff the first time, it's shocking. But after the fifth time, you just want to hear about something else.
And then there's the misogynistic tone in almost every chapter. 😒
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Excrement, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
exlibrisphoebe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Excrement, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Alcohol
paigie_pie's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Excrement, Vomit, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use, Medical content, Grief, and Cannibalism
skillwithaquill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
Other content warnings: amputation, crowd crush, paranoia, severed limbs, decapitation, fourth-wall break, ptsd, flooding, threat of sexual violence, claustrophobia.blymanor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, and Pregnancy
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.75
“To think our young people are capable of what we saw chills the blood for a very long time.”
It's true that I don't tend to read a lot of proper horror titles, but I saw Fantasticland mentioned and I couldn't resist adding it to my TBR. I have a weak spot for an amusement park setting, and there was just something about this premise that sounded both terrifying and absolutely fascinating. I have to say this before I continue though: this book isn't for everyone and you definitely have to suspend your disbelief to be able to get a positive reading experience. If you are able to do that, make sure to brace yourself for a extremely twisted ride! Seriously, this basically reads like Lord Of The Flies on acid, but set in an amusement park after a hurricane hits. I wasn't expecting the non fiction vibe of this story though; Fantasticland is written in a way that makes you feel like you are reading the result of an investigation by a journalist. This journalist helps narrate the story, although the plot mainly consists in first-person accounts of people present at the park. The interviews are presented in a way that slowly reveals just how bad things got before they were finally rescued... And boy, things get properly twisted and graphic long before that final page. Torture, mutilation and even cannibalism; nothing is too much in this story. What I did find a bit lacking was the explanation of how things escalated so quickly after the hurricane hit... I was expecting something more elaborated, or at least more of an answer to that question. That said, I can't deny that this was a perfect Halloween read.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
averagesparrow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug use, Kidnapping, and Cannibalism
caitiebarton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Excrement, Cannibalism, and War
helenastinks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Confinement, Drug use, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Excrement, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment