Scan barcode
taliesinrex's review against another edition
- 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
Jade herself is a wonderful character to see this world through. She is pessimistic and troubled, though not fully without hope somewhere in her mind - though it's not always hope for her OWN survival which I think adds a great depth and adds to the ingrained tragedy of her character. Her intense love for slasher films, finding them a source of comfort in the face of all the awful things that have happened to her, is at its core a very relatable story and one that I think contributes to her being such a fantastic POV character that you really want to see succeed even though the world around her is uncaring and downright hostile to her at times. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, and her dynamics with characters who are sympathetic to her but unsure of how to truly help like Letha, Sheriff Hardy, and her teacher Mr. Holmes.
I will say this was my first time reading Stephen Graham Jones's work so I wasn't sure what to expect from his writing style. He definitely throws a lot at you, and his syntax is quite unlike a lot of other books I have read which took some getting used to. Once I started getting into the flow of his prose, though, it became really immersive and served as a great vehicle for the violence, tragedy, and humor throughout the book. Take heed that there's some heavy stuff revealed later on, and a whole lot of gore, but I'd definitely recommend this, especially to any horror movie fan.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment
A traumatic childhood sexual assault is discussed, but not described in graphic detail. General mentions of racism/racist violence against Native Americans.ekw0036's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I need to stare at the ceiling a bit over this. I won’t pretend this book is without flaws but it’s def the first true horror novel I’ve read in a while. It’s a cerebral, dark, devastating book and I can’t wait to read more from him
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
squisheebee_'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
herelieshenry's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I 100% recommend this to people who like slashers for both the gore/horrorfest and the sociological and psychological undertones as well as people who love horror media because it gives them control over the circumstances of their fear. The strongest aspect of this book is the perfect meeting of social commentary to a brutal slasher. The weakest is that I think the last chapter could be paced up quicker than it is to hold the momentum the last quarter picked up on a little more. I’m glad I finally gave this book a go after years of wanting to but not finding the time. If you can stomach gory writing and you’ve considered reading this book but haven’t yet, now is the perfect time to jump in before the final book in the trilogy comes out.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm and Forced institutionalization
Discussion of child sexual abuse; Portrayal of gentrificationmelchncookies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse and Fire/Fire injury
scatteredyarns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
squrrlgrrl'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
hintermost's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
The book setup itself is an overly-bloated mess, getting quite exhausting to read in the middle chapters. This issue is exasperated further by the usage of the "Slasher 101" sections between chapters. I know this is meant to further allow the reader access to Jade's horror knowledge and her relationship with Mr. Holmes, but it's just grating - especially when most of it is irrelevant to the plot.
As a result of the bloated, poorly planned plot, the actual horror doesn't occur until the tail end of the novel. When it finally happens, it seems like less of a well-planned ending point, and more "cobbled-together-to-meet-a-deadline."
I have no intention of reading the sequels, as this first novel was an annoying, unfocused, bloated mess of a work.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
judassilver's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
ry_mo_03's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment