Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink

6 reviews

stories's review against another edition

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dark hopeful fast-paced

4.0

This would perfect for a long drive. 

Horror/mystery intertwined with hope. 

Still very much relevant today, but it has gorgeous roots in the social justice movements of its time that resonate powerfully. 

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calamitydane's review

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

5.0

Loved this book! The characters were fantastic, descriptions were visceral, and the theme was relatable. I kept sending quotes to my partner because they were so iconic.

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kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

3.5 rounded up! i was in a bit of a slump when i started this, and it didn’t fully pull me out of it tbh. i think switching from podcast to book dulled some of the overall excitement for me, but I really liked Keisha as a protagonist! 

worldbuilding is a bit handwavy but fun nonetheless! this would be a good low stakes Halloween read

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haileyhardcover's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I used to be big into podcasts but I haven’t listened to one in ages. I had no idea about Alice Isn’t Dead (in podcast OR book form) until I happened to notice it at B&N, read half of the description on the back and decided to buy it on a whim. 

The premise is cool - Keisha’s wife goes missing, is presumed dead, and then Keisha sees her repeatedly popping up in the background of the news, so she goes looking for her and discovers way more than she bargained for. The story was well written and easy to read fast (short chapters!) but there were several points where I was just… bored. I wonder if I might’ve felt more emotionally invested if I’d listened to the podcast.

My favorite bit was the most relatable to me - Keisha, having resolved to remain single, sees Alice for the first time and thinks, “Well, shit.” And ain’t that just how it goes… lol Best laid plans. 

For someone who LOVES horror, I didn’t read enough of it this year. I’m looking forward to reading more of it in 2024. Maybe I’ll find something actually scary for a change lol 

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lanna_aud's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75


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e_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This took me a while to get into, just because of the horror aspect. I’m not usually a horror reader by any means tbh, but I’ll do what I have to do for a queer book. I would recommend this to someone that liked Hank Green’s duology, and bonus if you liked Welcome to Nightvale. There were one or two things that felt like they were pulled from Nightvale plot points (specifically I’m thinking of a library scene) but they’re completely different story lines. 

I’m not a podcast person, so I wasn’t comparing this book against the Alice Isn’t Dead podcast. From reading other reviews, I think that was to my benefit. The plot was a little hard to grasp at times, but I really enjoyed the way it all came together. The ending wrapped everything up very nicely. The casual queerness was also a major plus—there was the occasional mention of homophobia, but the book had queer main characters without their being queer being the main struggle (or even *a* struggle) they face in the book. 

Overall, this novel really grew on me! Deducted one star for the horror element, which is more on me than the book. 

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