Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - We Sold Our Souls

This book is genuinely scary. I couldn't wrap my head around how a book with this basis could be a horror and I kept thinking this until the first horror scene. From then on, everything is terrifying. Can't wait to read more of his works!

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taylormoore's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-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

3.0

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nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

3.75

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hellokatya's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

3.25

this book took me a long time to finish, i just could not get myself to pick it back up once i’d stopped.
around the 60-70% mark it got a lot better, but its a fight to get there.
i’ve read some grady hendrix before, and i’d definitely say he has much better books to read.

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cinderrunner's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

It is honestly impressive how metal, in essence not even just subject matter, this book is. I will admit, i wasn't overly impressed when i first started. I felt like it was taking too long to actually get anywhere. The plot doesnt really get rolling or exciting til maybe halfway through. I felt myself wishing Hendrix spent more time on them as a band and developed their connection a little better so their relationships had more omph. But the longer I read, the more the plot revealed, the more into it I got. Specifically around page 182 (in the edition I own) Kris starts playing guitar with a girl on the street and she talks about why she plays and the things that drive her. I read that passage and wanted to start snapping like i was at a poetry reading. If you are an artist of any kind, someone who really gets the drive to create for the sake of art not fame or money, the themes in this book are gonna hit home. Definitely recommend for you. Especially if youre an artist who is in alt subculture. I've only read 3 Hendrix books so far and can only recall the plot of this one and Final Girl Support Group enough to comment on them. But something I don't think people give Hendrix enough credit for his the social commentary and psychology behind some of these books. I get its easy to look past it with the camp factors and horror elements. Yet, its a really powerful part of the books when you notice it and it keeps making me rate them higher than i expect to. We Sold Our Souls would have been a 3 star read until the themes around society, its ambivalence to suffering, our obsession with shallow crap that doesnt matter, our selfishness, our obsession with treating the famous like gods, etc started becoming clearer to me. I love the full circle moment of ending on Melanie the way the book opens on Kris. Really wraps up the overall message of the book incredibly well. CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS ONE PLEASE! ESPECIALLY IF SA IS A TRIGGER FOR YOU.

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werewolvesnotswearwolves's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.5

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danidamico's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Me encanta la forma de escribir de Grady Hendrix, accesible, divertida, visceral, por momentos un poco ridícula pero siempre con mucho corazón. Su mezcla de terror con humor y referencias a la cultura pop es soñada, casi perfecta. Este es mi tercer libro del autor y lo disfruté un montón, no puedo esperar para leer The Southern Book Club's Guide..... Cada vez puedo decir con más seguridad que Hendrix se está transformando en uno de mis escritores favoritos.

En We Sold Our Souls seguimos a Kris Pulaski, la ex guitarrista de Dürt Würk, una banda noventosa de heavy metal. La vida de Kris es una porquería, no tiene a nada ni a nadie, y todo es consecuencia de algo que ocurrió con la banda hace años. A lo largo de la novela, somos testigos de la travesía de Kris, tratando de enfrentar al pasado, reclamar lo que le quitaron, salvarse a sí misma y, por qué no, al mundo. Es una pesadilla llena de conspiraciones, fuerzas oscuras del más allá, lavado de cerebro y violencia colectiva. Y música, mucha música.

Kris es una gran protagonista, típica de las novelas de Hendrix. Está lejos de ser perfecta, sin embargo nunca deja de generar empatía en el lector. Queremos verla triunfar. Me gustó que también se explore un poco el tema de ser una mujer en un ámbito artístico dominado por hombres. Me gustó el valor que el autor le da a la música y al arte, ese que sale bien de adentro. Y así como Hendrix sabe escribir escenas divertidas y hasta cómicas, no hay que olvidar que también sabe cómo crear momentos que te ponen la piel de gallina del miedo y del asco; pienso en la escena del gusano en My Best Friend's Exorcism. Acá me pasó lo mismo con el escape de Well in the Woods, literalmente me hizo sentir claustrofobia y falta de aire.

Ah, esto es un detalle, pero lo leí casi al mismo tiempo que miré la primera temporada de Yellowjackets, una serie nueva espectacular que me enamoró. Si bien no se parecen en cuanto a la trama, siento que el libro y la serie tienen un estilo similar y resultó una buena combinación.

En fin, si les gusta el terror con un sentido del humor retorcido, personajes femeninos complejos, una mezcla de realismo con elementos sobrenaturales y la temática de sectas, entonces denle una chance a We Sold Our Souls. Y de paso miren Yellowjackets.

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herelieshenry's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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