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bookstarbri's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ryan La Sala is a genius. A brilliant, phenomenal, talented genius. The first book I read by La Sala was The Honeys, which I loved. So I was really excited to read this one and as soon as I found out about it a couple months ago, I knew I had to read it as soon as I could. I knew by the end of the first chapter that this book was going to be something special, yet the more I read, the more it continued to surprise me. This has not only quickly become my favorite book of the year I've read so far, but it's become one of my favorite books I've read in years. 5 stars doesn't feel like enough to give this book. I will never look in at mirrors the same again.
The summary of it is pretty self explanatory and once things start to happen, they just keep on going and it's constantly coming at you. This book is weird. It's creepy. It's a subtle kind of horror that crawls behind you until it wants you to see its true, monstrous form. Some lines are so unsettling, I got chills from just a singular line. Beholder is one of the most creative and unique books I have ever read in my life and I don't think I'll stop thinking about it for quite some time.
The characters are all wonderfully crafted. Athan is such a likable MC and I felt so connected to him throughout reading this as many of the things he does, I do myself. It truly felt like he and Dom against the world in this book, which is such a great feeling when it's two characters as great as these two. Their partnership begins early on and it goes through many phases throughout this that are just beautiful to read. As the story develops, so too does their relationship into a sort of stunning balance. Then there's Athan's yiayia who is a very weighty character felt throughout this book even when she wasn't there. Then there's the big, bad, lurking force in this book. I don't even want to give too much away because the less you know going into this, the better. But let's just say this had one of the coolest story climaxes I have ever read. Everything was so visceral, I could see the images coming from Ryan's words as if they were a movie playing in my head. Beholder is unsettling, heartbreaking, and at times disturbing lol. But it's a story that goes so much deeper than the surface. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like horror books or even just mystery books, please please please read this. I will be recommending this to everyone who listens. If Ryan La Sala wants to publish a grocery list, I will read it.
Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Scholastic for providing me with an ARC of this gorgeous book in exchange for an honest review!
The summary of it is pretty self explanatory and once things start to happen, they just keep on going and it's constantly coming at you. This book is weird. It's creepy. It's a subtle kind of horror that crawls behind you until it wants you to see its true, monstrous form. Some lines are so unsettling, I got chills from just a singular line. Beholder is one of the most creative and unique books I have ever read in my life and I don't think I'll stop thinking about it for quite some time.
The characters are all wonderfully crafted. Athan is such a likable MC and I felt so connected to him throughout reading this as many of the things he does, I do myself. It truly felt like he and Dom against the world in this book, which is such a great feeling when it's two characters as great as these two. Their partnership begins early on and it goes through many phases throughout this that are just beautiful to read. As the story develops, so too does their relationship into a sort of stunning balance. Then there's Athan's yiayia who is a very weighty character felt throughout this book even when she wasn't there. Then there's the big, bad, lurking force in this book. I don't even want to give too much away because the less you know going into this, the better. But let's just say this had one of the coolest story climaxes I have ever read. Everything was so visceral, I could see the images coming from Ryan's words as if they were a movie playing in my head. Beholder is unsettling, heartbreaking, and at times disturbing lol. But it's a story that goes so much deeper than the surface. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like horror books or even just mystery books, please please please read this. I will be recommending this to everyone who listens. If Ryan La Sala wants to publish a grocery list, I will read it.
Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Scholastic for providing me with an ARC of this gorgeous book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment
From the cover, it's pretty obvious spiders take a bit of a role in this book. Though it's *not* a heavily present image throughout, I know reading about spiders can be a bit scary if you don't prepare to read about them, so just know there is some creepy spider imagery in this! But it's very well done and, well, this is a horror novel after all.