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joensign's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
melbotics's review against another edition
mysterious
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
4.5
As an Alice Isn't Dead podcast listener, it took me a bit to get used to the change in narrative style in the book - the 1st person made everything very immediate, while the book is in third omniscient.
But I did get used to it. And I very much enjoyed this retelling of the podcast story (and Jasika Nicole's narration). I love the horror explored here on highways and liminal spaces in America, and the political commentary built in.
I think the Oracles of the Road are one of my favorite horror/fantasy concepts in the story. I just love the idea of these timeless beings in hoodies lurking in mall fountains and such. Plus the refrain the protagonists need to figure out, "there are oracles on these roads".
I enjoyed the authors note about the end, discussing how his own anxiety influenced the character Keisha.
... This book has made me want to watch season 1 of Supernatural, so do with that what you will.
But I did get used to it. And I very much enjoyed this retelling of the podcast story (and Jasika Nicole's narration). I love the horror explored here on highways and liminal spaces in America, and the political commentary built in.
I enjoyed the authors note about the end, discussing how his own anxiety influenced the character Keisha.
... This book has made me want to watch season 1 of Supernatural, so do with that what you will.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Racism
kailovesfrogs333's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
I think this book works so much better as a podcast, as somebody who adores the podcast and finished it in 4 days. However, I'm still giving this book a 4-star because it has a special place in my heart, and because there were some very quotable moments in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Stalking
Minor: Cursing, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Racism, Stalking, and War
Minor: Sexism and Gaslighting
atlas_likes_to_read's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Stalking
olive_lol's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel overwhelmingly neutral about this book.
At first, I loved the way it took place almost entirely on the road, but the charm eventually wore off. Some of the pacing is a bit clunky—really fast at times before becoming really slow, with little middle ground. However, the descriptions were great and really added to the atmosphere (I especially loved the unique descriptions of sound).
A lot of parts, especially the central mystery, are pretty out there and the type of thing a reader probably couldn't guess. After a few reveals like that, it got harder for me to stay fully invested in trying to solve it myself.
The book has few frequently recurring characters besides Keishaand for the second half, Alice . It makes sense in the context of the story but still contributed to my difficulty staying invested. As a result, the novel feels like it has a smaller scope than it really does.
Overall, this was a novel with a unique road trip atmosphere, some great descriptions, and an odd storyline that left me not feeling very strongly about it one way or another.
At first, I loved the way it took place almost entirely on the road, but the charm eventually wore off. Some of the pacing is a bit clunky—really fast at times before becoming really slow, with little middle ground. However, the descriptions were great and really added to the atmosphere (I especially loved the unique descriptions of sound).
A lot of parts, especially the central mystery, are pretty out there and the type of thing a reader probably couldn't guess. After a few reveals like that, it got harder for me to stay fully invested in trying to solve it myself.
The book has few frequently recurring characters besides Keisha
Overall, this was a novel with a unique road trip atmosphere, some great descriptions, and an odd storyline that left me not feeling very strongly about it one way or another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Antisemitism, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Vomit
nhewitt99's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.0
A story about hate, horror, and hope. Something about the pace made it difficult to be particularly scared by the scary parts or moved by the moving parts, but overall I enjoyed this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, and Abandonment
catalyst226's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm finding there are a few authors that I will basically love anything they write regardless of genre. Joseph Fink is definitely one of these. This time a legitimately frightening horror novel set in various locations across the country on a road trip. The author's note on anxiety and it's role in the story was a nice touch. Again, recommending to fans of Welcome to Night Vale. The narrator is also the voice of the podcast and I may jump in to the podcast for more details of this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism
gbeezz's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The first part of the story is solid, it is mysterious and scary and believable. However, during the second and third part I started to realise why I stopped listening to the podcast as well. I think for me a part of it is that the mystery is too convoluted, it is too big of a plot and it just becomes unbelievable to me. It doesn't help that all the side-characters only stay in the story for a very short time and we only have Keisha to focus on, and again while I love her in the first part and in the podcast, she sort of feels less believable and human after part one, which is ironic given that it is a story about humans becoming monsters . There isn't really any space to care about the characters after the first part I think.
The ending also felt a bit unsatisfactory; it makes sense that evil was not defeated forever, but having Alice and Keisha just be unaware and them leaving all of that behind them to just live a regular life felt very unfinished to me.
The ending also felt a bit unsatisfactory;
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism
the_escapist's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Contemporary/light-horror (more about a sense of wrongness than scariness though). A road trip for an anxiety-ridden women to find her missing wife, Alice, in which strange beings keep turning up.
I remember listening to some of the podcast for this years ago (by one of the writers of Welcome to Night Vale) and losing track of where I left off, so when the audiobook turned up in my library I gave it a go. It’s surprisingly wholesome, which is probably why I didn’t vibe well with it. It's fairly slow-paced, and very much about the characters rather than the plot. There were some interesting ideas here, but I just didn’t really connect with it on an emotional level.
I remember listening to some of the podcast for this years ago (by one of the writers of Welcome to Night Vale) and losing track of where I left off, so when the audiobook turned up in my library I gave it a go. It’s surprisingly wholesome, which is probably why I didn’t vibe well with it. It's fairly slow-paced, and very much about the characters rather than the plot. There were some interesting ideas here, but I just didn’t really connect with it on an emotional level.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, and Murder