ktxx22's review against another edition
5.0
This. Book. Is. crazy. Good!! I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook version of this and talk about not wanting to get out of the car because you want to know what's around the next corner. I loved the characters and all there personality flaws. I love how scary ChristmasLand was. And Charles Talent Manx the III... what the proverbial F. I also have to say that the last 2 tracks on the final disc where Joe Hill talks about writing and audio books and his crazy talented family were a special treat. If you like horror, hell if you're on the fence, read this book. Also Hill left some goose eggs in here for Kings Constant readers. Loved that!
stephjlw's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars!
way too long, but otherwise this was fine. there were weird moments of edginess that felt contrived, and also I get that ‘vampire’ is kind of the closest word for what the villain here is, but it’s not quite accurate. the lore/ abilities going on in here were too fantastical for what I was expecting/ wanted. still, I get why people like this- I don’t think it was bad. this just wasn’t totally my thing.
way too long, but otherwise this was fine. there were weird moments of edginess that felt contrived, and also I get that ‘vampire’ is kind of the closest word for what the villain here is, but it’s not quite accurate. the lore/ abilities going on in here were too fantastical for what I was expecting/ wanted. still, I get why people like this- I don’t think it was bad. this just wasn’t totally my thing.
lloydie666's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
dcboycm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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
4.75
fullyfoley's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars rounding up. The setup for this book is really good. I liked getting to know the lives of the characters in depth without it feeling like exposition. There was a great amount of foreshadowing and all of it had satisfying payoff. There were plenty of description of what happened to characters for me to cringe and to root for the characters out loud. The book was very heartfelt, sorrowful, and a nice mix of reality and imagination. Will for sure recommend this book to those into or looking for a horror book.
leenyx's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
doctabird's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of those books that I didn't want to end because it was so good. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that managed to be dark, twisted, funny, and touching (and all done well).
muzzfuzz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
readingwithkelsey's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed some parts of this and other parts... I did not. I think the start of this book was really interesting, I really enjoyed learning about Vic as a character and the "powers" that her and other children would have. I even enjoyed when the book jarringly jumped to Vic twenty some years later because I was very interested in her motivations as a mother and I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of her son and her ex-boyfriend (side note: both of them are super sweet and enjoyable characters). Charles Manx as a villain was interesting as well and I really enjoyed his motivations behind finding Vic again as the one who got away. And then ending was very engaging and I really enjoyed how the final chapter closed out the novel. However, I found the pacing in this book to be extremely difficult in keeping my attention. I never wanted to listen to this book when I had the time simply because the majority of the middle portion was long-winded and quite frankly, boring. I think if the book was shorter, it could have had a much quicker pace and the stakes of Vic's life would have felt much higher.