Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Dead and the Dark

This book felt like watching a good thriller/horror movie with lots of well-handled social commentary. I couldn't put it down after I started it. I think my favorite part - besides how fun it was to read the book - is that it makes you face your (internalised in my case) homophobia. I think the best way to read this book too is without knowing much about it.

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anna_17793's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

this book is just so perfect. it was an emotional rollercoaster.

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goldfish_human's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Okay, I really loved it 😳
It was sapphic, mysterious and thrilling.
I do agree that it's giving a Riverdale vibe but like, in a good way, in a strange, mysterious, "small town not as perfect as it seems" and "don't trust anyone" kind of vibe.

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robin_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.5

Paranormal small town murder mystery. A married gay couple return to their terrible small town in the buttcrack of Oregon with their adopted daughter.

The romance in this felt completely unnecessary and did little to nothing for the plot. I didn't connect with any of the characters and didn't much care what happened to any of them.
The plot surrounding the mystery wasn't bad.
The pacing is weird sometimes--very slow and then time jumps of days and weeks.

The ending was so weirdly happy and didn't feel like it fit. I get that a Happy Ending is always nice and most people want those but I would've preferred if it ended it a more tentative, maybe almost wary open ending

Additional CW: Drowning, attempted murder

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lyvane's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

J'ai trouvé le rythme bien trop rapide, et la suspension de crédulité en pâti un peu. Mais j'étais curieuse de découvrir le fond de l'histoire et j'ai été absorbée. Les persos principaux sont attachants.

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pomegranite's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

Sometimes when you read something, you can tell it's the authors first real work. The Dead and The Dark screams debut novel, from bad pacing, short chapters, straight to the point sentences, and telling instead of showing... I felt it could really use some work. The first 25 chapters or so really bored me and I had a hard time caring for the characters. I also couldn't really tell how the two characters were ment to end up together, as there was no chemistry or reason for them to even be near eachother. But as time went on and the more I read, the more I enjoyed. Once the book got to where it needed to be I didn't really put down the book, I zipped through the chapters and began to enjoy what I was reading. But then again bad pacing struck, and it really put a damper on things. But I'm not cruel, I didn't hate this book. I thought the author had a good idea with this story, and I enjoyed the family dynamic between Logan and her dad's... and I wish we saw more of it actually. I also really love how queer this story was. One of the main characters is a lesbian with two dad's and the other main is sapphic, and they end up together as a cute couple. All in all? I didn't love this book, I wish it was longer and had more builf but I didn't hate it either. It was a solid read that I don't regret, and it didn't put a bad taste in my mouth when I was finished. It did what it was supposed to as a young adult novel, and if I read this when I was younger? I probably would have loved it.

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lyla_wicks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

loved the atmosphere, and absolutely adored the romance and characters! could have delved a tiny bit deeper into the horror aspect and offered some more explanation about what was actually going on, but made for such a good, quick thriller, with a very cute ending.

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