Reviews with content warning for Blood - Off Season

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

30 reviews

readerofdafuk's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book definitely has the horror movie vibe to it. Like classic slasher movie with victims settings etc. I really like how the chapters are divided into time so you actually see the real time of how within 4-5 hours everything changed

I was scared/creeped out by the ferel children at the beginning, but the more I read about these fucked up people it was like the more it clocked that this can't be real people, even with some knowledge of technology like tape they somehow don't have empathy even for their own people? Or mourning their own dead? Didn't take away from how their creepy little family horrors work, just made me a bit more aware of "Oh this is just fiction"

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ohyayitsapril's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

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catiecoop's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Loveable characters? No

2.0

Kept losing me starting at the halfway mark. Felt like it was rambling. 2 stars because it was very detailed and descriptive.

So. Much. Gore.

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rikathestrange's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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roman_castavet's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I don't even know how I want to rate this - three stars feels high but safe for something that grossed me out but which still had me committed enough to read within 24 hours. Jack Ketchum is a real name in horror literature and I knew his reputation going in but Off Season felt more approachable and less obviously a turn off than trying to read Girl Next Door. The rape, genital mutilation, child death, and graphic gore in general weren't anything I needed a trigger warning for, I knew what I was getting into and didn't leave this book feeling upset, just grossed out. Do I need multiple scenes of chopped off penises? No. Does it ruin my day? Also no. But like, knowing this kind of graphic and sexual violence is a Ketchum standard, while it doesn't trigger me in any way, it also isn't something I really desire. There are people doing shock value in way more amateur ways which I would never touch in the first place, so I can respect that Ketchum is not a bad writer and really appreciate his Afterword about the censorship he faced in this book's initial publication (and why he deserves to be able to publish the original book he wrote!) - he is not a bad author, this type of horror just simply isn't for me. But this doesn't keep me up at night, and in many ways was a fun start to my summer reading challenge.

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issymaae's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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thegreatandwonderfulbookwitch's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A New York editor rents a cabin in the woods in Maine and waits for friends to arrive. A wild family living nearby decide to bring a night of terror down on their heads. None will walk away without scars.

I mostly went into this blind. I found the writing to be really solid and engaging. The description of horror was just detailed enough to be disturbing without drawing out scenes too long. The imagery was gory and terrible to read. The pacing was nice, nothing was needlessly added or fluffed up.

I wouldn't recommend this for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy horror movies and books, then you'll like this one. You'll never see a fire the same way again! I was left pretty shell shocked by the end of it all.

I received this book from Amazon first reads for free.

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