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kaylovestoread's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
theantisocialslibrary's review against another edition
3.25
ah i missed king’s writing 🫶🏻 (well, some of it). feels good to be back. this was interesting and a very quick read- was interested the whole time. king really knows how to write an unlikable character.
zachsports22's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
09didi's review against another edition
5.0
Although I did not read Mr Mercedes (I was introduced to the series), i thoroughly enjoyed the second book. A real page Turner, that kept me wanting to find out more. Characters felt real and the story line was solid.
longaneyes_'s review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Gosh, this was actually a pretty phenomenal book. I wasn't really in the mood to read it when I picked it up, but I needed to start a fiction book and had been meaning to continue the Bill Hodges Trilogy. I do not regret reading this though! I have to say this one was probably a little better than Mr. Mercedes, but not by a whole lot. I feel as though they're pretty matched.
I really loved Parts 1 and 3. Part 1 was really captivating, and I loved seeing the jump from 1978 to the 2010s. It was a really great exposition for this novel, and I thought it was really well done. And I loved Part 3 because of the TENSION oh my gosh! Stephen King did a really great job with those short chapters quickly flipping from perspective to perspective. One moment, you're with Pete who's rushing to get home, and feels reassured that his family is fine. The next moment, you're with Morris AT Pete's house and his mother just got shot. Really well done.
It's definitely not a King book without some racism, homophobia, and fat shaming. The racism was not as bad in this book as the last one. I think we only heard ONE racial slur. That's probably a record. Quite a bit more homophobia and fat shaming though. I know he uses it to make his villains even more detestable and cruel, but I always hate reading those parts. Often seems like a needlessly cruel addition to the story.
The main thing keeping this story from a higher rating is that I really didn't care much about the Hodges-Jerome-Holly POVs. They were just boring.I LOVED anytime we were hearing from Morris or any of the Saubers, but then we would go back to Hodges and his salads and I just couldn't find myself caring. It wasn't unbearable. I've read far worse split POV books that were HALF captivating and HALF boring. But I still just didn't love these parts. I was always itching to get back to Pete and Morris. I almost feel like this story could've been better if we had no Hodges-Jerome-Holly. Not because I dislike the characters (and I know they're very connected to Pete and Morris), but because it could have been done without them.
Also, are we not going to talk about Brady Hartsfield?? Mind powers?? I'm very confused, and I'm hoping we don't see a supernatural aspect in End of Watch. This is a story that takes place in a world where Divergent CANONICALLY EXISTS. Don't tell me we're about to bring our original villain back but with mind powers. I don't know if I can do it.
It's definitely not a King book without some racism, homophobia, and fat shaming. The racism was not as bad in this book as the last one. I think we only heard ONE racial slur. That's probably a record. Quite a bit more homophobia and fat shaming though. I know he uses it to make his villains even more detestable and cruel, but I always hate reading those parts. Often seems like a needlessly cruel addition to the story.
The main thing keeping this story from a higher rating is that I really didn't care much about the Hodges-Jerome-Holly POVs. They were just boring.
Also, are we not going to talk about Brady Hartsfield?? Mind powers?? I'm very confused, and I'm hoping we don't see a supernatural aspect in End of Watch. This is a story that takes place in a world where Divergent CANONICALLY EXISTS. Don't tell me we're about to bring our original villain back but with mind powers. I don't know if I can do it.
trenchcoatartichokes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.75
lovemydolphins's review against another edition
4.0
A trilogy, huh? I'm torn between saying "ugh" and "I NEED THIS." Oh, Stephen King.
charliegirl21's review against another edition
4.0
By far the best book in the trilogy. The bigotry of Brady Hartsfield doesn’t infect this, so it is way more palatable. The storyline was a little too tightly wound, but I really enjoyed all of the characters. You can tell an older person wrote the book though, because he is pretty out of touch with what your average high school kid would be into. It’s not a deal breaker, but it does make it less believable.
My greatest compliment is that King speaks to what it is to love to read and fall in love with books. This novel does a great job capturing the hold an amazing author can have over the audience. While the vast majority of us aren’t Morris, we all understand the devastation of having an author break our heart when their world building doesn’t take us where we want to go.
My greatest compliment is that King speaks to what it is to love to read and fall in love with books. This novel does a great job capturing the hold an amazing author can have over the audience. While the vast majority of us aren’t Morris, we all understand the devastation of having an author break our heart when their world building doesn’t take us where we want to go.
angola's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5