The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
fictionaladventures's review
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Bullying, Body horror, Mass/school shootings, and Child death
sarah_shelf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I usually reserve 1 stars for books I actively despised reading. While I would not say I despise this book, I had absolutely no investment in the characters or plot for the majority of this novel. I wanted the reasons/explanation for the creepy world of the present timeline, which we got in the last 20 pages, but I didnât particularly care about anything else. This sounds bad, again, given the last 20 pages, which is why Iâm splitting my review into my thoughts pre- and post- reveal (plot twist? ending?)
I bought this book on a whim one day, intrigued by the cover and the premise as well as a passing interest in one of Francesca Zappiaâs other novels. Mostly I bought this book because it reminded me of the horror games my friends and I were obsessed with watching when we were in middle school. For the majority of the book, those vibes were all I really got out of it, plus a frustrating reminder of how YA can be such a vague genre when it caters to so many age groups. Pre-reveal I did not think I was at all part of the target audience for this novel. Honestly, I still think this novel wouldâve gone over better with at least high school self (some of the more serious topics that come up later plus the gore may have been too much for middle school me.) Though the reveal does make the novel a lot more present and relevant to our society as a whole.Â
What I mean by the target audience is the characters, storyline, and writing were all simplistic. The past timeline, what happened before in the normal world, follows our main character Cat as she grows up and goes through high school. Cat is an outcast and a bit of a loner. Sheâs that weird girl with one friend and a talent at making creepy and disturbing art. Her best friend Jeffrey is a plain, chill dude who sticks by Cat through all the bullying, especially at the hands of his older brother, the attractive and ever popular Jake the jock. All of these characters feel like archetypes Iâve seen in high school media countless times and the bullying Cat suffers from, while horrendous, is still a story Iâve heard before. There was nothing interesting or different about this past timeline, no new commentary besides the dangers of bullying.Â
The present timeline, in the horror reflection of Catâs high school and student body held my attention the most, but it still left a lot too be desired. If Catâs past was just an exhibition of all the ways her life went wrong (with the exception of her relationship with Jeffrey) then Catâs present just tries to one-up itself with the creepy student transformations and increasingly bloodier and gory-er murders. The crux in this storyline is finding out who or what is killing the changes students (the outcasts) with a minor desire to escape the prison the school has become, but that mostly falls to the wayside. Itâs framed like a mystery, but itâs really not. Everyone points fingers at Schoolâs so-called boogeyman, Laserbeams who lives in a cave of knives in the basement. So of course, itâs Laserbeams. Why? Well after a bloodbath,
As the climax of the violence occurs, Cat finally remembers what happened at the end of the past timeline:
Why was any of the horror timeline necessary?
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Bullying, and Gun violence
frogggirl2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Vomit
smortnerd's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Death, and Violence
sammba's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I would NOT recommend his book for teens or label it as YA (see content/trigger warnings). It is NOT for the faint of heart.Â
Graphic: Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Gore, Grief, Murder, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
supersol375's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Body horror, Bullying, and Confinement
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
stonams's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Violence, Bullying, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Torture, and Eating disorder
Minor: Animal death and Mental illness
exocutionn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Body horror, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual content and Mass/school shootings
slayergirl3281's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Cat has become a monster. She and other students are stuck inside their high school, some are also changing into monsters while others stay human, all the while something is hunting them down. They donât know what, but Catâs memories are the key to why they are all there and more importantly, a way out.Â
Iâm going to start this off with this book is not for everyone. It deals with A LOT of very heavy topics(see cw bellow) but it made you think and feel and cry. It was heart breaking and realistic. It isnât the story that many of us want to read right now but one that I personally believe needs to be told. Especially with the topics that are covered.Â
Cw:
Bullying
Gore
Violence
Animals killed
ClassistÂ
Hanging
Sexual assault
TraumaÂ
Mental health
Eating disorder
This is a spoiler for the plot but must be mentioned.Â
Spoiler
Underage pornography mentioned
School shootingÂ
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Classism, Sexual assault, Violence, Gore, Animal death, Gun violence, and Body horror
Minor: Eating disorder