Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Devil's Chew Toy by Rob Osler

2 reviews

kshertz's review

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is so cute. I love the characters so much. I’m very attached to them. I love the diversity. I love the mystery. I think it’s definitely for lgbtqia+ family especially. It’s a cozy mystery and definitely something I didn’t want to put down. 
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spookieboogie's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Thank goodness for my tendency to only read the first paragraph of book summaries, because the official summary in its entirety is literally an overview of the whole book. Just the whole damn thing. That being said, if you plan to read this book I don’t recommend reading the official summary. The blurb I’ve posted here is a shortened version of the official.

Described by the author as a “Quozy Mystery” (queer + cozy mystery), Devil’s Chew Toy begins with a Meet Chaotic (you know, instead of meet-cute) between our boys Hayden (the POV main character) and Camillo that ends in the two of them going home together. But despite what one might expect from a go-go boy, Camillo only wants to cuddle on the first date, so after chatting a bit that’s exactly what they do. When Hayden wakes up alone in the morning, he doesn’t even have time to process what’s happened until he’s confronted with Camillo’s suspicious disappearance.

Since I didn’t read the full summary before I read this book, I went in just knowing that it was gonna be queer. Check. I really found myself rooting for our band of amateur sleuths. The main characters were extremely likable; the plot wasn’t really about them, but they stole the show.

Devil’s Chew Toy is written in the first-person perspective of the relatably anxious Hayden. I found the prose well suited for this type of character. The little blog posts periodically sprinkled in were a neat touch, though I don’t feel that they added to the story at all. I usually found the supposed connection between the plot and what Hayden wrote a stretch at the best of times and redundant or irrelevant at the worst. Again, they are kind of fun. I enjoyed it as a way to understand Hayden a bit more.

Some complaints:

  • At one point Hayden finds out that Camillo is in the US on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). If you’re unfamiliar, this means that because he was brought to America as a kid, he’s able to essentially defer deportation giving himself time to apply for and be granted citizenship. It’s a very personal thing, and Hayden reacts poorly to this information. The author has two side-characters correct him- I mean, really he only actually knew Camillo for a few hours. I just- I got pretty upset during that ordeal.
  • There’s a bipolar character who is supposedly off her meds and does some pretty absurd things. The inclusion of this character felt unnecessary and careless; she existed as a red herring, and while having characters that mislead us is to be expected in a mystery, did it have to be the single mentally ill person not taking their meds that does the totally unhinged things? Ugh.
  • Non-white characters are described with their race, but white characters are not.
  • The completely open ending.
After checking the author’s website I found that this debut isn’t standalone, and instead the start of a series called Hayden and Friends Mysteries. I’m really looking forward to that since we didn’t get much time with Hayden and Camillo together and despite actively seeking non-romance titles I still like a bit of romance in my books.

Story: ★★★

Now the audio portion! This was fan-freaking-tastic. Narrator Pete Cross was the perfect voice for Hayden. He’s such a talented voice actor. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book as much without listening to his voice.

The author’s prose combined with the voice actor’s reading completely pulled me into the story.

Audiobook: ★★★★★

Final Thoughts: A fun audiobook to listen to. The premise is interesting, though the execution was undistinguished. The characters are distinct and engrossing- definitely my favorite part of the story itself. I highly recommend the audiobook (and any other audiobook by Pete Cross probably)! This works well as an introduction to the series because I’m excited to see more of our characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC to review!
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