Reviews

What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell

peyton_'s review

3.0

I am not exactly sure how I feel about this book. I read it for book club and it was described as a horror, but I'm not sure about that. Yes, this is a horror book, but it felt a lot more psychological (pro-mental health, not psychological thriller) and less monsters-are-going-to-kill-you. I did enjoy reading the book and trying to figure out the truth. I guess I enjoyed it more as a mystery than a horror.

I really struggled with the setting of the book. It is set in a corn maze, buy Sadie kept describing hay bales, so I kept picturing a maze built out of hay bales. The other problem was that Hollowell describes that various areas the characters go through as rooms, with walls and doors. This made me picture actual, physical rooms, and not just open areas where the corn opened for doors. It was really difficult to picture in my mind as images kept bouncing between corn and brick and mortar rooms. Maybe this was just me, but I wish other language had been used so that I could have been better immersed in the corn maze universe.

Sadie and Logan are good teen characters. There is definitely an element of unreliable narrator as it is never known which attempt Sadie and Logan are one, so there is no way of knowing if they know the truth yet, or if they are still floundering in the maze. Helena and Anthony are very unreliable characters, which is perfect for them. Even after the final events unfold, the character of Helena is still kind of under question.

By this I mean, if she managed to escape the maze and overcome her guilt. While Sadie and Logan say signs point to yes, we do not get a lot of details.

 

The plot is where I got let down on this book. I enjoyed the ride, but I knew that my opinion of this book would depend on how the ending was handled. I liked the horror aspects and they reminded me of Jumanji (lost in a world you do not know or cannot control, but get to start over and over again to win the game) and escape rooms. There are monsters of a sort, but I do not believe that they are fully explained.

The sheep bones? The corn mound? The voice calling for Sadie?

My problem is that as Sadie and Logan are making their way through the maze they realize how to escape and that is where everything goes wrong.

Instead of being an intense physical battle, it is all psychological. Helena has to overcome her grief and guilt for killing Anthony (in self-defense) in order to get rid of the maze, since it is those feelings that caused her to create the maze in the first place. This really bothers me because it took a mental twist that just said Helena needed some therapy and to talk things out and everything would be resolved. It is so easy and so not horror. Also, how REALLY did the maze get created? A lot of people experience grief and guilt (and many other things that are bad for their mental health), but there are not a ton of horrific corn mazes sprouting up all over the place. It just seemed like Hollowell had a topic to discuss and this was how it was going to happen.

I would have preferred if the book just stuck to horror and didn't have to become all profound. 

jaydavies's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

2.0

suzannegunnerson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-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

4.5

metallicmeaghan's review against another edition

challenging funny tense fast-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

I started and finished this book in one day. I'm a mood reader, so when my bestie suggested it to me late last year, I was already past my spooky season and put it on the backburner for this fall. And WOW am I glad that I picked it up. It does an amazing job of being tense and spooky and scary while also dealing with complex themes of mental health and abuse and relationships. I was enthralled and loved every minute of it. I HIGHLY recommend reading this book

catpanda1's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.5

ellieellie16's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

HOLY FUCK THIS IS SO GOOD! genuinely one of the most unique and interesting concepts ive ever read and executed soooo well! When i wasnt reading this i couldnt stop thinking about it. Im so here for all of it, the slowing of time, the multiple death loops, corn monsters , a never ending corn maze, just all of it is so good and the horror is horroring this is genuinely terrifying and mind fuck-y to think about. Plus the chemistry and relationship between sadie and logan is so genuine and great to read. And besides all that it has a great way of portraying its themes of abuse and how it manifests in relationships, and giving it physicality through the maze. I truly have never read anything like this and i love it so much its so beautiful 

phantasmwitch's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

midnightsong22's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

4.5

bethany6788's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

When best friends Sadie and Logan ditch their field trip for an abandoned corn maze, they stumble into a deadly loop where they’ve been trapped before—and died in the process. This atmospheric horror blends time-bending twists with a poignant look at trauma and connection. 

*please review content warnings prior to reading and light spoilers below*

This book was never on my radar until a friend of mine picked it up the other day, saying she was hooked instantly and I have to agree. I love stories with time loops and time travel and mysterious magical realism. 

Sadie and Logan getting lost and stuck in the maze had me like !!! Hearing Sadie and Logan see Logan’s body initially was   wild. How it repeated so many times got you right into the story.

The mechanics of this maze were so complex and with each iteration, Sadie and Logan became more in tune with it. It turned out that Helena’s story had parallels of Sadie’s own experiences.

I loved the friendship between Sadie and Logan and how they cared for each other. The trust and love was evident and there was no hint of a romantic subplot which I appreciated. As a fat girl, there are several passages that hit me right in the gut. No pun intended. I also really loved how they figured out how to solve the maze and escape. 

I did audio and digital reading for this one and I’m glad I did! I had to switch to digital to finish tonight, haha.

meagrupert's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0