Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - We Sold Our Souls

The book definitely delivers on all the most interesting elements of the blurb that spiked my interest in the first place. Heavy metal horror! The mythology behind a specific (made-up) niche metal album turning out to be true! An older protagonist confronting the past! All of this are very much present and reasonably well-done, and I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes horror and has ever been, to any extent, a metalhead.

I loved how a bunch of popular conspiracy theories from the 90s were casually woven into the plot and the worldbuilding, and I enjoyed the structure of this novel, with all the flashbacks and radio transcripts thrown in. On the macro level, it’s really well-crafted, with the tension points spread wonderfully over the entire thing. Although on the scene level, I felt it meandered at times, with the narrative getting bogged down in the details and asides. Never to the point that it would frustrate me out of wanting to know what’s next, though.

I was kind of surprised that I found the MC’s younger self from the flashbacks a lot more interesting to follow than the main timeline Kris. Normally, I really like reading about older characters and I’m of a mind that people—real and fictional alike—generally become more complex and exciting as they age. Then again, character work definitely isn’t this book’s strongest point. I wouldn’t call the characters flat precisely, but most cast members embody specific archetypes with a heavy metal bend, and all in all, the focus is very much on the plot.

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pcollins399's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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mothmania's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

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seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

3.75

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sydazin18's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This book was a trip. I felt like I was going to vomit multiple times through it. It was very good, and I would read another of his novels, but boy was it hard to get through and a little traumatizing

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mfrisk's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense 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

2.5

I kept feeling like this was building towards something more exciting but ultimately it felt anticlimactic.

Essentially this book is a horrific road trip story and Woodstock 1999 retelling with supernatural elements and despite that sounding interesting it really takes this concept nowhere. It just feels like an exploration of failed dreams and frustrations that don’t add up to anything truly horrific. The only thing horrific in this were men taking advantage of and harming women but that’s mostly glossed over and I can’t quite figure out why this book ended in as boring of a way as it did.

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dancingyoshi's review against another edition

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dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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tarac92's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.25

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