reading_binosaur's review
dark
mysterious
tense
3.0
A group of friends find a box in the middle of the woods and decide to make a bond of friendship by making sacrifices vowing to always be friends, even if they grow apart.
Years later, the rules that they all agreed upon have been broken and now they are all in danger.
**Pet Cemetery vibes throughout the book**
bcantread's review against another edition
3.0
There were good things about this book. There were bad things.
The characters and characterization where particularly well done. The author writes with a strong, if not distinct, voice. It's descriptive and gory in a way not many YA horror novels approach. The friend group dynamic in this novel is a good time to watch interact.
The Sacrifice Box really just comes off a a dumb, but fun 80's horror movie turned into a novel. It's very summertime mood. That's the overall vibe. The plot isn't too thought out though, so if you're looking for deep, you won't find it here. There is no lore behind the box, which brings frustrations plot wise as the reader keeps wondering why things are happening, but never truly receives an answer. It's also not particularly well written, but The Sacrifice Box is interesting, enough to keep the reader hooked and wanting more until the end.
Overall. if you're looking for some dumb YA horror set in the 80's with PG13 "It" vibes, this is the book for you. The Sacrifice Box really does feel like a badly written 80's movie, but you can have a great time with this book if you turn off your brain.
The characters and characterization where particularly well done. The author writes with a strong, if not distinct, voice. It's descriptive and gory in a way not many YA horror novels approach. The friend group dynamic in this novel is a good time to watch interact.
The Sacrifice Box really just comes off a a dumb, but fun 80's horror movie turned into a novel. It's very summertime mood. That's the overall vibe. The plot isn't too thought out though, so if you're looking for deep, you won't find it here. There is no lore behind the box, which brings frustrations plot wise as the reader keeps wondering why things are happening, but never truly receives an answer. It's also not particularly well written, but The Sacrifice Box is interesting, enough to keep the reader hooked and wanting more until the end.
Overall. if you're looking for some dumb YA horror set in the 80's with PG13 "It" vibes, this is the book for you. The Sacrifice Box really does feel like a badly written 80's movie, but you can have a great time with this book if you turn off your brain.
karin_goodreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of my older 'to be read' list citizen and my god, why did I wait so long?
Initially I got the book, because of it's cover, it's pretty and I like crows and ravens and such, but now the story is what makes it so exciting! Would it be weird if I said that this horror book could be my new comfort book?
Like, come on, this was a 2-in-1 book, horror AND comedy baby! Most of the story is actually quite odd and fun I'd say. All the creepy and gorey details were also to my liking, but man, Arkle and his humor, mhmm, that got me hooked to the book. He caught me off guard every fucking time and I literally had stop and sit there amused. I really liked the others as well! And I feel so bad for Mario...
The plot was super riveting, the world building and storytelling kept me invested. Got to have some moments of realization that had me saying "OH" out loud.
And the ending?? I was constantly making notes and internally screaming. The actual main character Sep(tember) was phenomenal, how did he do it all? I have no idea. In reality, every one of these five took it like a champ. Basically a story about the power of friendship and love if we get cheesy :)
I don't actually have much to say, I'm scared to spoil too much or start rambling, so I'll keep it short. This was a memorable book and I'm so glad I got to experience it in a stormy weather, it added so much to the ambiance!
Initially I got the book, because of it's cover, it's pretty and I like crows and ravens and such, but now the story is what makes it so exciting! Would it be weird if I said that this horror book could be my new comfort book?
Like, come on, this was a 2-in-1 book, horror AND comedy baby! Most of the story is actually quite odd and fun I'd say. All the creepy and gorey details were also to my liking, but man, Arkle and his humor, mhmm, that got me hooked to the book. He caught me off guard every fucking time and I literally had stop and sit there amused. I really liked the others as well! And I feel so bad for Mario...
The plot was super riveting, the world building and storytelling kept me invested. Got to have some moments of realization that had me saying "OH" out loud.
And the ending?? I was constantly making notes and internally screaming. The actual main character Sep(tember) was phenomenal, how did he do it all? I have no idea. In reality, every one of these five took it like a champ. Basically a story about the power of friendship and love if we get cheesy :)
I don't actually have much to say, I'm scared to spoil too much or start rambling, so I'll keep it short. This was a memorable book and I'm so glad I got to experience it in a stormy weather, it added so much to the ambiance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Gore
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident, Medical content, and Vomit
Zombified animals (and people)?lucymarie146346's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
sarahjanejudson's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Not bad. Great story of sacrifice, love & friendship with a creepy twist & some crazy & sad surprises too.
joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
dnf at 200 pages
honestly, I just don't care enough about anything to finish this book. not the character, not the evil haunting them, not what's actually behind it or how they'll stop it. I'm not invested even though I'm 200 pages in, so I'm taking a decision for myself and won't finish it.
honestly, I just don't care enough about anything to finish this book. not the character, not the evil haunting them, not what's actually behind it or how they'll stop it. I'm not invested even though I'm 200 pages in, so I'm taking a decision for myself and won't finish it.
lonestarreader's review
adventurous
challenging
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Body horror, Cursing, Animal death, Gun violence, Death, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Alcohol, Murder, Vomit, Cancer, and Blood
ever_unread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
"Never come to the box alone.
Never open it after dark.
Never take back your sacrifice."
A few simple rules, but you would be surprised how people get it wrong, and not only that, but people think that the box is all sweet and kind intentions. Hello, I could have told you from the beginning that suspicious boxes in the middle of dark forests are not to be messed with, but did anyone listen? No, no. And look what has happened. So much horror, so much blood, so much terror.
This is one of those books I have been looking forward to for some time, and then I spotted while I was in the UK for a short vacation and wanted it even more. Sadly, I couldn't bring it with me. Yay for carry on baggage and me wanting to bring other souvenirs back as well (plus I already had 2 or 3 books with me to bring back :P). And then when we got home my boyfriend sweetly surprised me by buying this book! <3 Thanks sweetie!
This book was amazing, it was everything I hoped, and more! It was creepy, it was a big NOPE NOPE NOPE *flails and hides*, it had a few eye roll moments, it was fun. It was just perfect. I didn't feel bored one moment, though I have to say that I sometimes wanted to stop reading because it was a bit gruesome at points (and that escalated as the story progressed).
Our MC is Sep, though we also have POVs of other characters. These characters may seem insignificant at first, but believe me everyone plays a role. Everyone has something to do with either Sep or the box. Sure, I didn't always like all the characters, for instance it took me quite a bit of time to get used to Mario (he was just odd and his way of speaking was quite distracting). And some characters I could never like... Daniels, the bully.
Not only does the book have multiple POV but we also have 3 different times. First up is 1982, the summer when Sep was friends with Arkle, Lamb, Mack, Hadley and that was also the summer they did the sacrifice. Next is 1986 which is the current year, and the year everything will go wrong and it will bring these friends back together in a way they didn't expect. Then there is 1941 when another group of kids was tricked by the box. And yes, this time is also important. Very much so even, you may not know it first, but then you see all the connections, the web that leads from 1941 to 1982 and to 1986. I definitely went: OMG, it is that girl! at a point, and then some more OMG when I saw other connections.
The box is definitely out to kill. Not only those who broke its rules, and those who didn't get what it was capable of, but everything. Believe me, these kids, this whole island is in for one hell of a freaky ride.
I just loved how the author wrote the creepy parts, he did an amazing job on them. Believe me I was often quite terrified, as a lot of these things happened at night. Later on it also started to happen at other times. Then there was the gore, not really my favourite thing in books (or shows/movies), but it does fit perfectly with this book (and even if I want to deny it, that one scene where they had to do x to Sep to remove y was disgusting as hell and I was cringing so hard and I almost had to puke, but even that one fitted, though I could have done without it *shivers*). It shows that the box is clearly not afraid to show its power. It is a real killer of a box. :P They should have really thought before they put in the stuff they did. Then again, I can imagine these kids just thought it was harmless fun. It was something to remember the summer and their friendship.
I am still not entirely sure what to make of Sep. He seems like a great guy, and I can also imagine that he may just not trust his friends that much given that, from his POV, they dropped him as soon as school started. They haven't tried to contact him once (well... neither did he), he is getting bullied and no one does a thing. It was interesting that he was deaf, or at least half. How that happened, well I thought it was like this from birth.. but Sep hasn't had the easiest life. That is all I will say.
There is also a bit of romance and I have to say that it wasn't weird or out of place, if anything I found myself rooting for the two and enjoying the moments of light-heartedness in the whole chaos that was starting to take place.
The other characters, Lamb, Hadley, Mack, Arkle? I quite liked them when we really started to get to know them. Saw their quirks, their personalities, their ways of talking. Even though I am against putting things on fire, I did like that Arkle had a knack for setting stuff on fire. Lamb? It took me a while to like her. She was just so bossy, at times rude, and I also didn't like how she immediately went to point a finger to Sep instead of maybe thinking that it may be someone else entirely.
I also adore the book takes place in 1986, such a special year for me. And it was fun to see walkmans, nintendo consoles, and all sorts of other stuff again. Plus horror just becomes creepier when you can't contact each other as easily as one can in these years. No cellphones, no mail!
Who opened the box/who broke the rules? I have to say that until it was revealed I had absolutely no clue. I went through my head pass all the suspects, but I just couldn't figure it out. Thanks author for making it not that obvious. *thumbs up*
The ending was even more of a rollercoaster. If you aren't strapped in already, get ready to add a few more straps and buckles. :P I did think what happened with the box/Sep at the end was a bit weird and it did feel slightly rushed/incomplete, but I still liked it. I think I just didn't want the book to end just yet.
My boyfriend also had quite a laugh as I was NOPE NOPE NOPING quite a few times, and not that softly either (sorry neighbours, I know it was late evening, but I just couldn't stop myself). :P
Plus points to the cover!
Well, I think I have mentioned the important parts that I wanted to tell, of course I could still rave about this book a bit longer, but I don't think people want to read a book-sized book review for a book.
So I will end with this: I would highly, VERY highly recommend this amazing book to everyone. If you are looking for a very creepy, at times a bit gore-filled, story be sure to check out this book. Plus it features some fabulous and interesting characters.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Never open it after dark.
Never take back your sacrifice."
A few simple rules, but you would be surprised how people get it wrong, and not only that, but people think that the box is all sweet and kind intentions. Hello, I could have told you from the beginning that suspicious boxes in the middle of dark forests are not to be messed with, but did anyone listen? No, no. And look what has happened. So much horror, so much blood, so much terror.
This is one of those books I have been looking forward to for some time, and then I spotted while I was in the UK for a short vacation and wanted it even more. Sadly, I couldn't bring it with me. Yay for carry on baggage and me wanting to bring other souvenirs back as well (plus I already had 2 or 3 books with me to bring back :P). And then when we got home my boyfriend sweetly surprised me by buying this book! <3 Thanks sweetie!
This book was amazing, it was everything I hoped, and more! It was creepy, it was a big NOPE NOPE NOPE *flails and hides*, it had a few eye roll moments, it was fun. It was just perfect. I didn't feel bored one moment, though I have to say that I sometimes wanted to stop reading because it was a bit gruesome at points (and that escalated as the story progressed).
Our MC is Sep, though we also have POVs of other characters. These characters may seem insignificant at first, but believe me everyone plays a role. Everyone has something to do with either Sep or the box. Sure, I didn't always like all the characters, for instance it took me quite a bit of time to get used to Mario (he was just odd and his way of speaking was quite distracting). And some characters I could never like... Daniels, the bully.
Not only does the book have multiple POV but we also have 3 different times. First up is 1982, the summer when Sep was friends with Arkle, Lamb, Mack, Hadley and that was also the summer they did the sacrifice. Next is 1986 which is the current year, and the year everything will go wrong and it will bring these friends back together in a way they didn't expect. Then there is 1941 when another group of kids was tricked by the box. And yes, this time is also important. Very much so even, you may not know it first, but then you see all the connections, the web that leads from 1941 to 1982 and to 1986. I definitely went: OMG, it is that girl! at a point, and then some more OMG when I saw other connections.
The box is definitely out to kill. Not only those who broke its rules, and those who didn't get what it was capable of, but everything. Believe me, these kids, this whole island is in for one hell of a freaky ride.
I just loved how the author wrote the creepy parts, he did an amazing job on them. Believe me I was often quite terrified, as a lot of these things happened at night. Later on it also started to happen at other times. Then there was the gore, not really my favourite thing in books (or shows/movies), but it does fit perfectly with this book (and even if I want to deny it, that one scene where they had to do x to Sep to remove y was disgusting as hell and I was cringing so hard and I almost had to puke, but even that one fitted, though I could have done without it *shivers*). It shows that the box is clearly not afraid to show its power. It is a real killer of a box. :P They should have really thought before they put in the stuff they did. Then again, I can imagine these kids just thought it was harmless fun. It was something to remember the summer and their friendship.
I am still not entirely sure what to make of Sep. He seems like a great guy, and I can also imagine that he may just not trust his friends that much given that, from his POV, they dropped him as soon as school started. They haven't tried to contact him once (well... neither did he), he is getting bullied and no one does a thing. It was interesting that he was deaf, or at least half. How that happened, well I thought it was like this from birth.. but Sep hasn't had the easiest life. That is all I will say.
There is also a bit of romance and I have to say that it wasn't weird or out of place, if anything I found myself rooting for the two and enjoying the moments of light-heartedness in the whole chaos that was starting to take place.
The other characters, Lamb, Hadley, Mack, Arkle? I quite liked them when we really started to get to know them. Saw their quirks, their personalities, their ways of talking. Even though I am against putting things on fire, I did like that Arkle had a knack for setting stuff on fire. Lamb? It took me a while to like her. She was just so bossy, at times rude, and I also didn't like how she immediately went to point a finger to Sep instead of maybe thinking that it may be someone else entirely.
I also adore the book takes place in 1986, such a special year for me. And it was fun to see walkmans, nintendo consoles, and all sorts of other stuff again. Plus horror just becomes creepier when you can't contact each other as easily as one can in these years. No cellphones, no mail!
Who opened the box/who broke the rules? I have to say that until it was revealed I had absolutely no clue. I went through my head pass all the suspects, but I just couldn't figure it out. Thanks author for making it not that obvious. *thumbs up*
The ending was even more of a rollercoaster. If you aren't strapped in already, get ready to add a few more straps and buckles. :P I did think what happened with the box/Sep at the end was a bit weird and it did feel slightly rushed/incomplete, but I still liked it. I think I just didn't want the book to end just yet.
My boyfriend also had quite a laugh as I was NOPE NOPE NOPING quite a few times, and not that softly either (sorry neighbours, I know it was late evening, but I just couldn't stop myself). :P
Plus points to the cover!
Well, I think I have mentioned the important parts that I wanted to tell, of course I could still rave about this book a bit longer, but I don't think people want to read a book-sized book review for a book.
So I will end with this: I would highly, VERY highly recommend this amazing book to everyone. If you are looking for a very creepy, at times a bit gore-filled, story be sure to check out this book. Plus it features some fabulous and interesting characters.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
iamalive's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75