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scoobierubie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
To explain the injury detail:bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was a really fascinating horror / mystery / coming-of-age story about Andrew, who had decided to join his best friend Eddie at his graduate program. However, before Andrew arrives, Eddie dies by suicide, and Andrew is left with Eddie's inheritance, house, and so many unanswered questions about how Eddie got to that point of despair. Andrew begins to question the motives of the folks who were in Eddie's life, wonders if there was more to Eddie's death than what appears, and is thrust into this life of fast cars (I guess this is marketed as Fast & the Furious, but make it southern gothic? I guess I co-sign that?), drugs, sex, and suspicious relationship dynamics.
Overall, this was a deeply atmospheric book, and I could easily visualize the setting. The author did a wonderful job in the setup and creating an eerie setting. The pace is incredibly slow, so just be mindful of that. I had to come back to this multiple times because I kept falling asleep *cries in "I'm sorry!"* As far as the characters, I didn't particularly love or root for any of them, but I appreciated the authenticity in which they display anger, callousness, carelessness, and defensiveness. Andrew is grieving his best friend, he is confused about it, and he is getting to know an entirely new group of people, which can often be disorienting on its own. Throw in a dark academia southern gothic setting of universities where there may be hexes afoot and certainly are systemically oppressive structures at play? Sheesh. That sounds like a nightmare to navigate. I get it. However, I didn't feel particularly pulled to Andrew in the way I should have as a main character, at least not until the very end.
Overall, I think this is an impressive debut, and I will absolutely read more from the author in the future, but I deeply struggled to maintain interest in this slow-paced novel.
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nikoops's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying
jojothefool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Cannibalism, Car accident, and Death of parent
madscientistcat's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Slavery
holyschmitz's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kaywhiteley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Truly I was unsure about this book for a long time. The first 300 pages felt like the slowest burn mystery with also the slowest burn queer romance you have ever seen. Truly the sexual tension combined with the denials of being queer was so infuriating. I also truly did not understand what was going on for a long time. That plus the street racing made me wonder if this book was for me.
That being said, I’m glad I held on. As slow as the first part of the book was, the second part was quick paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I think that the slow burn actually enhanced the pace at the end and made it all the more satisfying.
I liked how messy Andrew’s investigation was because, let’s all be honest with ourselves, we would not be that much better when trying to break a curse while being haunted by the ghoul of our best friend. I also just loved the messiness of Andrew’s (and really everyone’s) character in general. He was so so fucked up throughout the book but I couldn’t help but root for him and his happiness.
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Self harm
Minor: Domestic abuse and Vomit
hades_hotline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Gore and Vomit
queerfucker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It can feel very slow and like days have actually been weeks, but grief and it’s distortion of time can do that. The descriptions are so vivid, but it can just feel like another paragraph to read at times.
Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol
deebauched's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
andrew blur is 22 and been familiar with the oppressive chill of a haunt hiding in his blood since an accident when he was 12, falling into a cave with his best friend eddie that both survived with unexpected consequences tying them to death forever. now a decade later we see him opening this book by battling the fresh news and grief of losing ed to suicide, something he just cannot reconcile being the true cause of his passing regardless of what anyone else says. suspicious, he's determined to unearth the real reason of ed's death, upturning any lead from his troubled group of friends to his busy academic life at university campus. he finds secrets ed kept from him at each turn, grows suspicious at various people, meanwhile fights a constant battle with a supernatural remnant of ed's ghost whose haunting persists more and more as the story goes.
gotta be honest, i was caught unawares of how hooked i'd get on this story only because i spent the first 80 or so pages in a neutral state about it all. i read it with a cool interest of where it would go, but once the groundwork was laid for all the players on the board i was hooked to a feverish binge to the very end. i believe this book is more character-driven while also handles a nice plot relatively well. there's a lot of content to one's liking - there are boys being dumb boys, there's a gang of unruly street racers trying to fold andrew into their pack, there are themes of repressed sexuality and past unhealthy relationships, codependency, a lot of spooky imagery of hauntings and occult folklore, and throughout it all a murder mystery setting the stage for all to unspool.
i really loved what this book served. i thought it dealt with the various themes well and i give major props to it for being able to get me into a romance that followed a lost one. i usually don't bite on these type of romances because i'm not convinced one could satisfyingly get over a love so intense they are being haunted over it, but this book did a very convincing job at it all and i ended up liking the endgame. i think what i liked about it most was its character writing and atmosphere. you get a really good grasp on the main cast and get invested in the case pretty early on. and the atmosphere is perfect for a spooky season read (even if i neither started nor finished this during that season, it's still true!)
putting a bow on my late night rant, i'm giving this a 4.5! the prose was above expected, the vibes were immaculate, the descriptions of the haunts, street races, grief, obsession and attraction were all deliciously electric.
trigger warnings: suicide, graphic descriptions of self-harm, death and murder.
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Suicide, and Murder