cmaranski's review against another edition
2.0
It was mostly okay. The supernatural elements were mostly low key and the entire book read like a straight thriller novel. Somewhere towards the end, I was expecting them to wrap it up so the fact that there is another book is somewhat disappointing. I don't feel particularly attached to the story to pick up the second book.
cutewitchirl's review
I got annoyed by how much the perspective was jumping around before any story had even started, and the writing isn't particularly tight
tfarfan's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
littlemissgemreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sssmoser's review against another edition
DNF
I was looking for a Halloween read and had had this one in the queue for awhile, ready to go. Unfortunately the writing is pretty poor, and all but one of the characters have the development of cardboard. This is Maberry's first novel, and you sure can tell, what with him trying to cram every single horror and crime trope in without reason.
Also his writing of women is truly astonishing in how bad it is. If you think Stephen King struggles with this, multiply it by about 10 and you'll get to close to Mayberry.
Not worth my time. Bleh.
I was looking for a Halloween read and had had this one in the queue for awhile, ready to go. Unfortunately the writing is pretty poor, and all but one of the characters have the development of cardboard. This is Maberry's first novel, and you sure can tell, what with him trying to cram every single horror and crime trope in without reason.
Also his writing of women is truly astonishing in how bad it is. If you think Stephen King struggles with this, multiply it by about 10 and you'll get to close to Mayberry.
Not worth my time. Bleh.
fredosbrother's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
evieshka's review against another edition
5.0
Maberry combines the familiar horror styles of authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz with classic horror movie elements and his own unique talent to create a truly engaging saga. One of my favorite aspects of this brand of horror media is the presentation of monsters not just as supernatural creatures, but also mundane threats: violent criminals, domestic abusers, corrupt police officers, and all the social evils that ride along with them.
I'm excited to see what comes next in the remaining two books in the series, and hope to be able to tackle Rot & Ruin this year, as well.
I'm excited to see what comes next in the remaining two books in the series, and hope to be able to tackle Rot & Ruin this year, as well.
mistressviolet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A well-written story fitting the Halloween season. I enjoyed the setting. The prose are good. The plot is interesting. The characters are.... complicated. There's a lot of toxic masculinity that needs to be waded through before you can enjoy the story, but I do understand that, in some parts of the country, people are absolutely like the characters described in the book.
Some supernatural elements and a fair amount of brutality and gore, give this a classic horror story feel.
mdiffer's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was recommended to me for a Halloween read. The story is a basic horror trope--spooky evil is on a murder spree and and small-town shenanigans ensue. But Jonathan Maberry's writing style and characters elevate the book. The characters practically steal show.