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explodingalice's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5 at best. Extremely predictable, more gross out than horror, and a bunch of superfluous animal torture because the author really wants us to understand that one kid is BAD.
sfljack's review against another edition
4.0
I could retell the dust jacket again, but I'm going to give one piece of advice on this very well written gore-fest, keep it closed around mealtimes! LMFAO
xkait98's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in one sitting.
It is a thoroughly creepy read about a parasite that invades the body with a lot of descriptive body horror. The story picked up fairly quickly, and the characters were dynamic and each unique. It was very interesting to see how the young boys reacted and changed throughout this situation and the tough decisions they had to make.
It is a thoroughly creepy read about a parasite that invades the body with a lot of descriptive body horror. The story picked up fairly quickly, and the characters were dynamic and each unique. It was very interesting to see how the young boys reacted and changed throughout this situation and the tough decisions they had to make.
eigenvvector's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
I liked this one! However, the concepts of this book is kinda hard to talk about with other people unless you know them well… Would this person enjoy biological nightmares? (Usually no)
bewhitedragon's review against another edition
4.0
When I initially read the synopsis of this book, I originally thought it was going to be creepy things happening in the forest around this Troop, like being watched or whatnot. But a dear friend described it in a much more perfect way: "...a Resident Evil bioweapon and how it affects the normal people caught up in it."
And honestly, that's a much better description. There is a lot of body horror in this story, and it is quite graphic and scary and gross. Normally, I'm not one for body horror, but I was so enraptured. Experiencing this terrible journey with these poor group of boys and their Scoutleader, and what they must do to survive. It may not scare you, but it will horrify you in its own way.
With that said, fair warning: it does feature some very graphic animal abuse. There was a section in the story that was...truly despicable. While necessary for learning about a character's psyche and the sort of things that happened prior to the events shown in this story, it is still pretty terrible. So if you're sensitive to that kind of thing, I'd probably skip this. Otherwise, it is genuinely a fantastic book for those who enjoy a more gory level of horror.
And honestly, that's a much better description. There is a lot of body horror in this story, and it is quite graphic and scary and gross. Normally, I'm not one for body horror, but I was so enraptured. Experiencing this terrible journey with these poor group of boys and their Scoutleader, and what they must do to survive. It may not scare you, but it will horrify you in its own way.
With that said, fair warning: it does feature some very graphic animal abuse. There was a section in the story that was...truly despicable. While necessary for learning about a character's psyche and the sort of things that happened prior to the events shown in this story, it is still pretty terrible. So if you're sensitive to that kind of thing, I'd probably skip this. Otherwise, it is genuinely a fantastic book for those who enjoy a more gory level of horror.
marianaqvi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
idratherbereading542's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start by saying that I'm not a horror genre reader. I've probably read all of two horror books in my life and never really ventured much further than that probably out of self-preservation. But I just couldn't pass this one up. The cover is just so haunting and draws you in to that little island of horrors. Then there's the premise: Boy Scout camping trip gone horribly, horribly wrong. The idea is such a blend of innocence and survival that you can't help but wonder where boyhood would end and survival instincts would take over.
At first I didn't necessarily like this book. In fact, I thought about putting it down numerous times and not coming back to it. The primary source of this urge was due to some really horrifying animal abuse/torture scenes. The story is not necessarily about this, but there is one person in this book that is depraved beyond belief and in getting to know him and his psyche we stumble upon some stuff that gives you a very good overall picture of how awful of a person he really is. After having read a few of these scenes I skipped over one that started out with a cat. I don't know how bad that one got but I couldn't even fathom putting any more of the kind of torture this boy was clearly capable of into my head. It was literally starting to make me sick to my stomach.
I should probably note that there were some animal abuse and killing scenes that didn't involve this boy. But I personally didn't find them as revolting because they weren't done without a purpose and with the sole intent of hurting another living thing. They were still horrible to read, but the scenes involving this one boy were the most disturbing in my opinion.
However, once I got past the majority of this particular boy's inner thoughts (by skipping them altogether or pushing through) the rest of the story was grudgingly entertaining. I say grudgingly because this is probably one of the most horrifying and icky books I've ever read, but like a train wreck I couldn't look away. Let's just say anything that squirms and slithers around will freak you out for a while after reading this book. Heck, I practically screamed when a moth landed next to me on the couch when I was reading this. I might have even karate chopped it a little bit. lol
But aside from the gross and the horrible, I liked that The Troop echos how life can be both extremely fragile and surprisingly resilient at the same time. This message resounded in many different ways throughout the book and with each of the boys, and I thought it was fitting given the thing that they're running away from the whole time.
In the end, The Troop is raw and gritty and totally unforgiving. It doesn't sugar-coat anything and Cutter's ability to describe the gross and the horrifying will either have you squirming in your seat or (if you're a little bit depraved) squealing in delight.
At first I didn't necessarily like this book. In fact, I thought about putting it down numerous times and not coming back to it. The primary source of this urge was due to some really horrifying animal abuse/torture scenes. The story is not necessarily about this, but there is one person in this book that is depraved beyond belief and in getting to know him and his psyche we stumble upon some stuff that gives you a very good overall picture of how awful of a person he really is. After having read a few of these scenes I skipped over one that started out with a cat. I don't know how bad that one got but I couldn't even fathom putting any more of the kind of torture this boy was clearly capable of into my head. It was literally starting to make me sick to my stomach.
I should probably note that there were some animal abuse and killing scenes that didn't involve this boy. But I personally didn't find them as revolting because they weren't done without a purpose and with the sole intent of hurting another living thing. They were still horrible to read, but the scenes involving this one boy were the most disturbing in my opinion.
However, once I got past the majority of this particular boy's inner thoughts (by skipping them altogether or pushing through) the rest of the story was grudgingly entertaining. I say grudgingly because this is probably one of the most horrifying and icky books I've ever read, but like a train wreck I couldn't look away. Let's just say anything that squirms and slithers around will freak you out for a while after reading this book. Heck, I practically screamed when a moth landed next to me on the couch when I was reading this. I might have even karate chopped it a little bit. lol
But aside from the gross and the horrible, I liked that The Troop echos how life can be both extremely fragile and surprisingly resilient at the same time. This message resounded in many different ways throughout the book and with each of the boys, and I thought it was fitting given the thing that they're running away from the whole time.
In the end, The Troop is raw and gritty and totally unforgiving. It doesn't sugar-coat anything and Cutter's ability to describe the gross and the horrifying will either have you squirming in your seat or (if you're a little bit depraved) squealing in delight.