itsrowan's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was not at all expecting to find a story like B-7 in this, but it made the entire book worth reading!
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the other two short stories though, but I ended up reading B-7 all in one sitting because I was that invested in its characters, its tone, and just, well, everything about it! I thought the horror in this story was so much more palpable than in Help Wanted or even in Happs. It was simultaneously fast-paced but also a slow and steady build-up to each shock that occured.
Although, I do feel bad about shelving this as middle-grade, even though that's technically the audience this is aimed towards.
(TW: Suicide ment.) While the scares in the first Tales from the Pizzaplex felt appropriate for a younger audience, felt incredibly out of place here. They fit appropriately within the context of the story, and I actually appreciate how both scenes were written and the build-up that led to both events, but finding it in what I thought would be a middle-grade read is... odd. Or at least it makes me feel odd, personally.
(TW: Gore ment.) That's not to say it's any worse or better than what happened in the story Happs, where. It also felt like 'too much' for a younger audience. B-7 just happened to hit doubly hard because I wasn't expecting to read anything like what I described above right after everything that happened in Happs.
It's still an incredibly well-written short story though, one that I'm happy to have read! That isn't to say I didn't like Help Wanted or Happs, but I see myself thinking about B-7 specifically even years from now. Maaaybe it's a little too much for a FNaF anthology, but, outside of that, was a great read.
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the other two short stories though, but I ended up reading B-7 all in one sitting because I was that invested in its characters, its tone, and just, well, everything about it! I thought the horror in this story was so much more palpable than in Help Wanted or even in Happs. It was simultaneously fast-paced but also a slow and steady build-up to each shock that occured.
Although, I do feel bad about shelving this as middle-grade, even though that's technically the audience this is aimed towards.
(TW: Suicide ment.) While the scares in the first Tales from the Pizzaplex felt appropriate for a younger audience,
Spoiler
the reveal of Billy's dead mother who took her own life (albeit off-screen), combined with the visceral description of Billy following suite (which did NOT happened off-screen)(TW: Gore ment.) That's not to say it's any worse or better than what happened in the story Happs, where
Spoiler
a teen gets his foot lobbed off in vivid detail before getting shredded to bits below the waistIt's still an incredibly well-written short story though, one that I'm happy to have read! That isn't to say I didn't like Help Wanted or Happs, but I see myself thinking about B-7 specifically even years from now. Maaaybe it's a little too much for a FNaF anthology, but, outside of that, was a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Gore
cashleykate's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
The last story before the epilogue is incredibly bleak and I can't imagine reading that as a kid. Altogether, I think this is a great book but they are really pushing how freaky they can get.
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