mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.
So, funny story, I was planning on reading this one today (Friday 30th October). But last night I couldn't sleep and thus decided to read this. And then 2 hours later I closed the book. Did I sleep much afterwards? Hahaha, no, not really. But I really really wanted to read this book, and I decided to take the consequences that come with reading a horror book at around 1am with it. :)
I am really glad I read the book, but I do have to say that I prefer the previous book over this one. The previous one was so much more creepy, Mary was way awesome, you had creepy mirrors and other reflective stuff, the hauntings were super super spooky and had me on the edge for quite a bit. It was a true Bloody Mary book. The deaths that happened there felt so much better executed. While here it just felt like some slasher movie, and while it was still gory enough for me, I still wish for something different. And sure, Mary is still creepy, we still have a few occasions of mirrors/reflective glass, but it is now mostly running/seeking out what is wrong with Mary, why is she haunting people, and to make sure that Mary doesn't do anything bad any more. And yeah, that was fun for a bit,
but it got a bit boring after a while. Especially since I kind of expected some epic ending, and was disappointed it was all this simple as just doing that thing. Even the characters were surprised and are now wondering about stuff.
The characters were really great, we got Shauna, Kitty, Cody, Jess (urgh I hated her), Dell, and also several newer characters that were fun to meet. Shauna was pretty good, and I loved how she tried her all. Tried to help Kitty. Tried to help when stuff really hit the fan. I loved Cody, I was so happy for her and she is such an interesting character.
The only character I didn't like was Jess. It seems that she just couldn't give a rat's ass about other people. I hate that attitude, and I find it disgusting that she would do all that. I am still not entirely sure if she just was stupid, or if she really craved the attention she so sought out.
The book is (once again) peppered with letters that tell us about Mary. There are letters from various people, and they were pretty interesting to read. Quite soon I already had a vague suspicion what happened to Mary, and also who did it. As the letters continued, as the story progressed that vague suspicion turned into a clear image and I just was waiting for the end to come to let me know if I was right or not. :)
What else? Ah yes, I have to give bonus points to an amazing cover design. With the hardcover you have a sleeve with one image, but you remove the sleeve, you will see a totally new cover on the front of the book. :D
Would I recommend this book/series? Yes, yes I would. If you want to be creeped out, if you never want to look in a mirror or anything reflective after this one, then be sure to check this one out!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
So, funny story, I was planning on reading this one today (Friday 30th October). But last night I couldn't sleep and thus decided to read this. And then 2 hours later I closed the book. Did I sleep much afterwards? Hahaha, no, not really. But I really really wanted to read this book, and I decided to take the consequences that come with reading a horror book at around 1am with it. :)
I am really glad I read the book, but I do have to say that I prefer the previous book over this one. The previous one was so much more creepy, Mary was way awesome, you had creepy mirrors and other reflective stuff, the hauntings were super super spooky and had me on the edge for quite a bit. It was a true Bloody Mary book. The deaths that happened there felt so much better executed. While here it just felt like some slasher movie, and while it was still gory enough for me, I still wish for something different. And sure, Mary is still creepy, we still have a few occasions of mirrors/reflective glass, but it is now mostly running/seeking out what is wrong with Mary, why is she haunting people, and to make sure that Mary doesn't do anything bad any more. And yeah, that was fun for a bit,
but it got a bit boring after a while. Especially since I kind of expected some epic ending, and was disappointed it was all this simple as just doing that thing. Even the characters were surprised and are now wondering about stuff.
The characters were really great, we got Shauna, Kitty, Cody, Jess (urgh I hated her), Dell, and also several newer characters that were fun to meet. Shauna was pretty good, and I loved how she tried her all. Tried to help Kitty. Tried to help when stuff really hit the fan. I loved Cody, I was so happy for her and she is such an interesting character.
The only character I didn't like was Jess. It seems that she just couldn't give a rat's ass about other people. I hate that attitude, and I find it disgusting that she would do all that. I am still not entirely sure if she just was stupid, or if she really craved the attention she so sought out.
The book is (once again) peppered with letters that tell us about Mary. There are letters from various people, and they were pretty interesting to read. Quite soon I already had a vague suspicion what happened to Mary, and also who did it. As the letters continued, as the story progressed that vague suspicion turned into a clear image and I just was waiting for the end to come to let me know if I was right or not. :)
What else? Ah yes, I have to give bonus points to an amazing cover design. With the hardcover you have a sleeve with one image, but you remove the sleeve, you will see a totally new cover on the front of the book. :D
Would I recommend this book/series? Yes, yes I would. If you want to be creeped out, if you never want to look in a mirror or anything reflective after this one, then be sure to check this one out!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
fictionaladventures's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I thought this was much better than the first one. It was creepier and the plot was more interesting. I still hated Jess, but at least the other characters did now too 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
cass_wba's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
tjlcody's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent sequel. Sews up the first book quite well, and answers most of the questions you'd be left with from it as well.
I thought maybe a lot of the tension from the first book would be missing from this one, given that.
The exploration of Mary's past was excellent, and honestly, I felt pretty bad for Pre-Ghost!Mary and all that happened to her. It also made me really interested to know more about why Solomon's Folly is as supernaturally active as it's implied to be, which really makes me hope that the author might do sequels or other books that touch on its history.
I thought maybe a lot of the tension from the first book would be missing from this one, given that
Spoiler
Shauna is no longer the one being haunted by Mary, but if there was, it was only a little bit. I liked that the book focused on the fact that Shauna still had a lot of trauma from her experience with Mary, to the point where she still had a major hang-up about mirrors and reflective surfacesThe exploration of Mary's past was excellent, and honestly, I felt pretty bad for Pre-Ghost!Mary and all that happened to her. It also made me really interested to know more about why Solomon's Folly is as supernaturally active as it's implied to be, which really makes me hope that the author might do sequels or other books that touch on its history.
sheenlynbree114's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kays_pallet's review against another edition
3.0
This was not as good as the first one. The pacing was really slow in the beginning and it took way to long to even see Mary. I think the way grief and ptsd was done very well, it was just almost too much for a thriller/ horror. The ending was everything I wanted it to be, but were the 150 pages or so leading up to it worth it?
persypie's review against another edition
5.0
“No mirrors. No glass. No reflections. Scars on the skin. Scars on the soul. Fear the only constant companion.”
This was a GREAT sequel and tied the story up with such a satisfying bow. Everything was fair, well explained, and held my rapt attention up until the bitter end.
There is no shortage of gore and gruesome descriptions, which gave just as cinematic an experience as the first Bloody Mary. If you’re a fan of horror and you haven’t tried this duo, GET ON IT. 10/10
This was a GREAT sequel and tied the story up with such a satisfying bow. Everything was fair, well explained, and held my rapt attention up until the bitter end.
There is no shortage of gore and gruesome descriptions, which gave just as cinematic an experience as the first Bloody Mary. If you’re a fan of horror and you haven’t tried this duo, GET ON IT. 10/10
thurley47's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75