Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Let the Right One In

I had heard a lot about this book. Originally, I'd heard about the Italian film, then the American re-make, and found it all started with this book. It's the perfect October read. It's scary on multiple levels (from violence, to pedophilia, to gore) and I think it handles these topics well and with the respect they deserve. It isn't a easy read, but it is very rewarding if you can get through it. I also appreciate how it's set in the 1980's, that way it isn't bogged down with modern devices and having to work around those. Yes, there are some weird translation issues (words not making grammatical sense, or simple words missing), but the writing overall makes up for that.
In the back of my copy there's a page advertising John's next book. I don't know if I'll read it, but Let The Right One In is a book I will keep on my shelf.

Content Warnings

bodiesinbooks's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

sofipitch's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Many books with sympathetic vampire characters leave you desensitized to the horror of either being killed by a vampire or being a vampire. This book does neither. Absolutely amazing. This book has lots of little plot points that come together in a kind of intricate web by the end, it's really impressive. For as many events that happen, I really like that not one character probably understand how this web connects, the only person who understands everything that happened and why, is you the reader.

For diversity I put it's complicated bc a character can be read has being nonbinary or gender fluid but it's not concretely addressed in the book (this is my understanding of the character). It also makes the romantic relationship in the book gay. But the book is a little vague on this

Content Warnings

mysimas's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I did it! Took me a month but I read this whole frigging thing in GERMAN! Woohoo!

I liked the book a bit less than on my first read a few years ago, my main issues being pacing and how dark the tale was. Now, this book is supposed to be dark, it’s a horror about vampires after all — and the related gore and description of Eli’s kills and the body horror of becoming a vampire was great. But then there were other things, unrelated to vampires, and the author may have taken them a tad over the top, especially what with the pedophilia and some details of Eli’s backstory. None of those things needed to be there; in fact, I would argue they bogged down the pacing, which already had its issues due to the sheer multitude of the POVs. Most of the characters were likeable, but my favourites were Oscar and Eli, and whenever the focus shifted from them I felt my attention shift away, too.

Still, I think it’s a very good book. The vampire lore was captivating enough, the characters all behaved believably, and the prose was solid, with some smooth transitions between the POVs and a collection of powerful scenes. I will likely reread at some point.

PS — I’m still not over the fact that the first time Oskar saw Eli, it was in a mirror. How awesome is that?!

Content Warnings

alsoapples'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? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

will_meringue's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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