Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink

14 reviews

stories's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Cannibalism, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Fatphobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Death of parent

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.

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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

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Murder

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, and War

24carrotgay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This is not the kind of book that I usually read.

I usually put down books that have somebody taking a bite out of somebody else's neck in the first chapter (R.I.P. Earl).

But Alice Isn't Dead had me hooked. This book was a lot in terms of violence and heavy themes, so it took a bit of time and space for me to truly appreciate it. Right after finishing, I honestly felt drained. A couple weeks later though, I was raving about it. Definitely won't reread, but I'm glad I read it :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

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 

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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

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 Keisha

and 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.

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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

alouette's review

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

maybe if i had realized this was based on a podcast i would've liked it better! as it was, i felt that it meandered and i wasn't really invested in the characters or plot. i thought the plot was cool after the fact, i just didn't care much in the moment, maybe because this kind of liminal/existential horror is not among my usual reading material. i'm more for antagonists with depth and morally explored motivations, not mindless drones. 3 stars for "meh" feelings on this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Violence

lanna_aud's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Death of parent

domreadsb00ks's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

Keisha's wife disappears, and Keisha subsequently dragged into a world of government conspiracies and the supernatural
This book genuinely confused me, and not in a good way. Or a bad way. It just completely confused me. It's a completely different book to what I'd expected from the blurb, but looking at the author's other books it's consistent with their style.
Towards the end of the book, the writer brought in themes of political extremism / hatred, but in all honesty it felt too ham-fisted, and the ending slightly too rushed for me too enjoy them fully. However, I did enjoy reading this book and it had some good twists.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gore, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail