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gormless's review against another edition
2.75
Honestly not my favorite. I didn’t really like any of characters in this book, couldn’t stand Maddie so every time it was her POV I kind of just rolled my eyes. I did enjoy Oliver and liked the plot. I would have dropped it but the plot was there.
rwilhoyte's review against another edition
3.0
This is a solid three star book. Maybe even 4 stars if I'd gone into it with different expectations. I was expecting an atmospheric "ghosts as past trauma"/haunted house story and got something more science fiction/multiverse. This isn't bad, just not what I expected. Maybe that's on me since I am mostly aware of Wendig as a science fiction author.
My favorite part of this book was its characters but I feel like we didn't get to spend enough time with any of them, including Oliver who is supposed to be the main focus of the action but often seems to just be missing from large parts of the story. I think there might be too many of them.
My biggest issue with this book is that it's called The Book of Accidents and I'm still not 100% clear on how the book works as a device in the story. I think I could've used a bit more background on it versus background on the character of Jake.
Overall, I did like this book but I didn't find it one of Wendig's best.
My favorite part of this book was its characters but I feel like we didn't get to spend enough time with any of them, including Oliver who is supposed to be the main focus of the action but often seems to just be missing from large parts of the story. I think there might be too many of them.
My biggest issue with this book is that it's called The Book of Accidents and I'm still not 100% clear on how the book works as a device in the story. I think I could've used a bit more background on it versus background on the character of Jake.
Overall, I did like this book but I didn't find it one of Wendig's best.
bbrown1987's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ratstick's review against another edition
3.0
That ending was so stupid. First of all, Nate was the absolute best character of the book and it's bullshit they didn't bring him back. Second what the fuck is up with Ollie? Going out to do some kind of big tent healing revival? Bad. I also really hated all of the niche pop culture references. It's just a "hey kids look I'm like you" like what old grandma would wear a welcome to night vale shirt? She'd be a deadhead. And what was the point of referencing anything other than D&D. Also the one Black character felt stereotypical af and the one SE Asian character didn't even have any lines, really.
I'm giving a 3 because the narrators of the audiobook were really good and a lot of the story telling was good. The plot kept me guessing for a while but the third act just kind of became annoying.
I just wish it was *better*.
I'm giving a 3 because the narrators of the audiobook were really good and a lot of the story telling was good. The plot kept me guessing for a while but the third act just kind of became annoying.
I just wish it was *better*.
juju8j's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
spooky347's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
the_pink_pharmacist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Well…. I wanted to love it. And I think I would have if certain areas and storylines had more time spent on them. I had questions and some things seemed like others might have inferred the answers but I did not and it left me confused and lost for quite a bit of the story.
I loved the idea of everything falling apart to come together, I just struggled to fill in too many pieces. 😔
I loved the idea of everything falling apart to come together, I just struggled to fill in too many pieces. 😔
unicornheart_books's review against another edition
2.5
"The fear of a thing is quite often worse than the thing we fear"
I first attempted to read this book two years ago, but the writing style didn’t really click with me at the time, so I put it down. Lately, with some extra time on my hands, I decided to give it another go. At first, I was drawn in – at least for the first 250 pages. The beginning held my attention, and I was intrigued by the plot and events unfolding. The creepiness and eerie atmosphere reminded me of The Diviners by Libba Bray, which is one of my favorite books, and for a moment, I thought I’d finally connected with this one.
However, after the first half, the book began to lose me. It shifted in a direction that felt more like fantasy than horror, which diminished the creep factor, and that’s where my interest started to fade. I found myself continuing only out of a desire to finish the book rather than being genuinely invested in the characters or story. The only character I remotely cared about was Maddie, but even she couldn’t fully carry the narrative for me.
While the first half had potential and kept me hooked, the latter part of the book felt like a slog. I lost my connection to the plot and characters, and ultimately, the book didn’t deliver on the eerie, unsettling vibes I was hoping for.
I don’t think I’ll be picking up another Chuck Wendig book in the future unless the plot is particularly intriguing or widely praised as genuinely scary. His writing style just doesn’t seem to resonate with me and is unfortunately not my cup of tea.
I first attempted to read this book two years ago, but the writing style didn’t really click with me at the time, so I put it down. Lately, with some extra time on my hands, I decided to give it another go. At first, I was drawn in – at least for the first 250 pages. The beginning held my attention, and I was intrigued by the plot and events unfolding. The creepiness and eerie atmosphere reminded me of The Diviners by Libba Bray, which is one of my favorite books, and for a moment, I thought I’d finally connected with this one.
However, after the first half, the book began to lose me. It shifted in a direction that felt more like fantasy than horror, which diminished the creep factor, and that’s where my interest started to fade. I found myself continuing only out of a desire to finish the book rather than being genuinely invested in the characters or story. The only character I remotely cared about was Maddie, but even she couldn’t fully carry the narrative for me.
While the first half had potential and kept me hooked, the latter part of the book felt like a slog. I lost my connection to the plot and characters, and ultimately, the book didn’t deliver on the eerie, unsettling vibes I was hoping for.
I don’t think I’ll be picking up another Chuck Wendig book in the future unless the plot is particularly intriguing or widely praised as genuinely scary. His writing style just doesn’t seem to resonate with me and is unfortunately not my cup of tea.