billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a 3-star book that earns a 4-star rating when scored on the tried-and-true "Billy Likes Books About Scary Monsters™️" curve, so it averages out to the 3.5 you see above.
The actual "monster" aspect of it might not have been quite what I was hoping for, but it's delectably unsettling, nonetheless. Golden's execution of the tantalizing premise is predictable once it gets going but manages to strike the ideal levels of tension, dread, and excitement to keep the pages turning at a satisfying clip. The cast is way too large, which results in most of the characters blurring together into a group of featureless names that exist to die in horrible ways. It's a consistent roadblock of the genre, but the best entries find ways to make the deaths feel somewhat meaningful, and that doesn't really happen here.
To compensate, Golden's writing is grisly and cruel, rarely missing out on an opportunity to make the reader squirm. I never felt much investment in the individual characters, but the menace they faced was so frightening I still found it easy to root for them and cringe when it didn't seem like they were going to succeed. Oh, and the ending made my blood curdle and will probably keep me up tonight, so it gets points for that, too.
I'm definitely going to be checking out the other "Ben Walker" adventures Golden has written because as fleeting as this particular brand of action-horror usually is, I'm a shameless sucker for it. Golden's plotting and characterization need fine-tuning, certainly. But his prose is sharp enough, and his enthusiasm for the genre is palpable (to a fault), so it's an easy read to tear through over a day or two, ideally during a snowstorm, for obvious reasons.
The actual "monster" aspect of it might not have been quite what I was hoping for, but it's delectably unsettling, nonetheless. Golden's execution of the tantalizing premise is predictable once it gets going but manages to strike the ideal levels of tension, dread, and excitement to keep the pages turning at a satisfying clip. The cast is way too large, which results in most of the characters blurring together into a group of featureless names that exist to die in horrible ways. It's a consistent roadblock of the genre, but the best entries find ways to make the deaths feel somewhat meaningful, and that doesn't really happen here.
To compensate, Golden's writing is grisly and cruel, rarely missing out on an opportunity to make the reader squirm. I never felt much investment in the individual characters, but the menace they faced was so frightening I still found it easy to root for them and cringe when it didn't seem like they were going to succeed. Oh, and the ending made my blood curdle and will probably keep me up tonight, so it gets points for that, too.
I'm definitely going to be checking out the other "Ben Walker" adventures Golden has written because as fleeting as this particular brand of action-horror usually is, I'm a shameless sucker for it. Golden's plotting and characterization need fine-tuning, certainly. But his prose is sharp enough, and his enthusiasm for the genre is palpable (to a fault), so it's an easy read to tear through over a day or two, ideally during a snowstorm, for obvious reasons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Gun violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Child death, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
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