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tabea1409's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
meganpkin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A good mystery that was hard to figure out, all in all though I'm not sure it was worth how I ended up feeling by the end of it which is a personal reflection only. It was well written, paced well, I read it in 3days wanting to find out the truth and the prologue completely had my attention and drew me in. I liked the amount of trivia about film and such, that was enjoyable. Would be intrigued by a sequel.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
maddireads13'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
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
sallytiffany's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
jamierenee98'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
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
elwirax'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
3.0
A lot of horror movie references which I absolutely loved
Writing style meant the book was easy and quick to read
I enjoyed seeing the fear test through the target's perspective. Made for a more engaging experience and gave me a break from Rachel's POV.
The discussion on the racial and social divide as well as past traumas was something the author did particularily well.
Good Latinx representation that wasn't made Rachel and Freddie's only traits ( made their bond a bit more believable as they were both the "outcasts" of not only the group but in the school)
I liked the friendship between Saundra and Rachel although I wish it had been more developed
CONS:
I found Rachel to be an unlikeable character. There isn't anything wrong with unlikeable characters on the contrary, I enjoy reading from their perspectives. However in this case I think she was meant to be likeable but came off as annoying ( I know she went through a traumatic event and I have taken this into consideration but in the end I just didn't like her character ).
Had a very predictable and abrupt ending. However, this was a book centred around horror movies and therefore such an ending would be expected.
There seemed to be some sort of weird love triangle going on but there was zero substance between any of them.
Way too melodramatic for my taste.
Overall, an interesting concept and for the most part the execution was well done. I think "The Mary Shelley Club" may be more suited to people who are new to the genres of horror/ slasher. Personally, I don't think YA thrillers are really doing it for me anymore.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse
ukalaylee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use
valeriabee'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
In part, I had anxiety because I was seeing how complicated the whole situation is and how hard it is to know/figure out who is telling the truth. It is so hard to decide who in this book is trust worthy (especially because it's written in first person) and that made my anxiety sky rocket. I didn't like not knowing or being unsure of what I was (and Rachel was) dealing with.
Moldavsky does a wonderful job of setting up and revealing the villain, the monster. I think it's in the way that she really makes you doubt yourself. For a minute you think, Rachel is right, it's this person... but then you think no way it doesn't add up. Or obviously it has to be this other person, why don't they realize this... but then why would it be them? What motivates them? Moldavsky really drives home the idea that "the real monsters aren't the ones created by man. The real monster is man himself." Something that Mary Shelley has proven to us in her own work 200 years ago with Frankenstein. I mean, it speaks to the common misconception and mislabelling of Mary Shelley's monster. People often address the green 'monster' as Frankenstein, but really he is Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein is the doctor. I don't say this to be pretentious, but to point out that the fact that Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster, but people don't want to believe that their peers are capable of monstrosities, so they reassign the role to the supernatural, to the least human. It's not wrong to say Frankenstein is the monster, it's only wrong if you're not referring to the Doctor. Shelley and Moldavsky's point is that people are scarier than any supernatural horror movie or book.
It's funny because I was telling my friends about this book earlier and when I told them a fun fact I learned about Mary Shelley from this book, it gave me another realization of how the revelation at the end redefines the scene. It was so crazy to me how perfectly set up the revelation is. When you get to it you might think "oh duh thats so obvious it makes the most sense," but I think that's only because Moldavsky sets it up so well without giving it away.
Reading this book also prompted me to ask my students (who are high school students) whether they think people their age are capable of empathy, rather, how much empathy they think their age group has the capacity for. Then, what kind of person they think of when they think of an empathetic person. Because books like these where the rich kids are such... assholes, really makes me wonder whether it has to do with age, upbringing, privilege, etc. Like what is interfering with their capacity to have empathy or to simply not be assholes. I was surprised by my students honest answers, but also by their lack in faith for the capacity towards empathy in their age group. (I think it definitely is partially a developmental thing, you learn as you grow older and experience more life -- but it is very nuanced).
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism and Suicidal thoughts
justagirlwithabook's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one got off to a sort of slow start, but by maybe a fourth of the way in, things started picking up and the storyline turned a bit more macabre, which I ate up, in one 4 and a half hour sitting! I really appreciated all the references to the cult classics of the horror genre, both film and text (as a former English teacher and current librarian, all the asides related to horror literature were a hit for me!). The storyline really focuses most on this traumatic incident that occurs at the very beginning, and then everything builds from there. We don't ever find out much about Rachel and her mom's story really; we only know them through the lens of this bad moment a year ago. While this might not work for some, I think it worked fine here, especially as a Young Adult novel that really carries itself well as a "slasher" type of story (it'd make a great older teen horror movie!). I didn't fully see the twist at the end when all was revealed, so it wasn't super predictable, which was great as well.
What I loved: the (mostly) fast pace, all the references to classic horror novels, authors, and films, the build up to the somewhat surprising ending, the 'slasher film' feeling of the story overall (5-stars for entertainment value!)
What I didn't love: the end-end of the ending (it felt like it ended quite abruptly rather than smoothly tapering off and letting us go - there were some loose ends that would've been nice to have wrapped up), not a lot of love for the main character (she was a bit abrasive, but then if this had been a horror film, we wouldn't need to have lovable characters to still get caught up in the scary of it all), the more mature content (in regards to language, casual underage drinking, drug use, and sexual commentary ... as a junior high librarian I was hoping this would be a great addition to my library shelves but it's much to 'new' young adult rather than just middle grade-YA).
I would definitely recommend this to older young adults who enjoy a good horror/thriller with a plot twist (as well as adults who can appreciate a pretty decent YA slasher novel when they see one). As a librarian, I would recommend this to general public libraries where young adult horror has a readership.
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group (Henry Holt and Co.) for the Early Review copy in exchanged for honest feedback.
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use