shellysbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
This book is almost 500 pages and I wasn’t sure how it was measure up. Happy to report it was a good read! The plot did have a slow build up, but the last half of the book was WILD and I had to stay up late to see how it all played out in the end. Excited to read more this author in the future.
Triggers: Homophobia, Racism, Drug use, Abuse.
Triggers: Homophobia, Racism, Drug use, Abuse.
sandrareilly513's review against another edition
4.0
Friday Night Lights meets Supernatural in this debut horror.
Author John Fram takes readers for a dark and twisty ride with his debut novel, The Bright Lands. What starts off as a story of a man returning to his prejudiced small hometown to help his younger brother turns into something far more sinister after just the first few chapters. Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed -- a small town full of hate and hypocrisy committing the worst sins in the name of faith -- molded into a murder mystery-slash-monster story, and I enjoyed every twist and turn. There are plenty of secrets to keep readers on their toes, and the added supernatural element makes this more than your average murder mystery while also remaining real enough to feel like it could happen in your hometown. And with various characters' POV, this is a fast-paced horror story perfect for the spooky season and football season.
**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
Author John Fram takes readers for a dark and twisty ride with his debut novel, The Bright Lands. What starts off as a story of a man returning to his prejudiced small hometown to help his younger brother turns into something far more sinister after just the first few chapters. Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed -- a small town full of hate and hypocrisy committing the worst sins in the name of faith -- molded into a murder mystery-slash-monster story, and I enjoyed every twist and turn. There are plenty of secrets to keep readers on their toes, and the added supernatural element makes this more than your average murder mystery while also remaining real enough to feel like it could happen in your hometown. And with various characters' POV, this is a fast-paced horror story perfect for the spooky season and football season.
**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
mgallmeyer03's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me cry and I'm amazed because it's a horror book through and through. It's extremely dark and scary and, boy, does it go places. It's also quite graphic at times.. There are twists and turns at every corner and John Fram writes in a way makes you believe one thing is happening and then the next chapter will flip it entirely on its head. A friend told me that this book is a lot like Stephen King's newer novels. I definitely agree with that but I'll throw in that it's a lot like his older novels also. Without spoilers and going into too much detail, this book definitely has an IT vibe to it. It's definitely this great mix of old King and new King in one book. Overall, I'm thoroughly impressed.
nika_nix's review against another edition
2.0
This was not at all what I signed up for. I expected a creepy horror book and all I got was a boring thriller with a tiny paranormal twist that was completely unneccessary. And I very much didn't like the setting and the all-American atmosphere. This was a 5-star predicition and I'm terribly disappointed.
nicksenior's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
shelbygladue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
lpip's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t really...get it. Quick read, and I wanted to solve the mystery so I kept going, but it all felt really jumbled. I couldn’t keep the characters straight. It felt like I was waiting the whole time for something to happen, and then all of a sudden we’re in a shootout and turns out there’s actually a demon here but nothing really fit and I’m still confused. Not my fave.
forever_fantasy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
fuguefire's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Good book, good writing, and great plot. I listened to audiobook, and pretty good narrator. I am rating this book higher than I liked it, because I think this is a good book, just not for me. The premise of feeling helpless and queer trauma in a small town hit a little too close to home for me, and it was hard for me to get through, but that’s a personal preference. The only technical gripe I have with this book was that I couldn’t really tell many of the main characters apart during their POV chapters, but that could have been partly due to how the narration was set up. I couldn’t always tell where one character stopped and another began. Put longer pauses back into audiobooks!! Anyways, pretty good book, full of queer trauma, I can recommend it if you want queer horror without any romance.