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torturedreadersdept'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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
narzibenoucdel'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
gnarlyrae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Kidnapping
hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tldr; Makes me think we would have been better off with just My Heart Is A Chainsaw as a standalone book.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
heggs'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: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Murder
mmccombs's review against another edition
3.0
Last year I went to a book event for Reaper, and SGJ described his writing process of just letting the story unfold from his brain without any kind of plan (even in determining who the slasher is) going into it. I’d say for the first book (and his Only Good Indians) this is a process that works and makes for very compelling horror, but in this book it felt noticeable in a bad way. Meandering, convoluted, unfocused, there were too many characters, too many “big bads,” too many things happening, and not enough clarity to make sense of any of it.
While SGJ can create vivid (and I mean VIVID) descriptions of gore and bodies and actions, his work tends to struggle with establishing a firm sense of place or time. Throughout this entire series but especially this installment, I was never quite clear about where these things were happening, if it was night or day, or what Proofrock even really looks like (where is the lake? Where is the dam? Where is the town? Where are the characters in relation to these places?). Without this kind of grounding, I never quite felt stable enough to understand who was in a given scene or what was happening.
The “Baker Investigations” parts only added more confusion to a story that was already confusing. I did like that this was from Jade’s POV, but her inner ramblings often got too long and lost the plot’s momentum. I think this could have been a 250 page book and still retained Jade’s singular voice while staying a bit clearer on the action. There are some really fun and moving portions of this book, but I felt like they got lost in the sheer volume of Jade’s thoughts (which was the point, I guess, but it didn’t make it any more enjoyable).
Ultimately, I’m glad I finished out Jade’s story, and she will remain one of the most impactful characters I’ve ever read. While I wish I resonated with this final installment a bit more, she will forever remain my final girl.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Kidnapping, and Grief
ramreads5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
shay43geek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
elysianbud'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
4.0
Stephen Graham Jones gutted me like a fish. Feel like Casey Becker hanging from a tree with my innards falling out.
There's a bit in the acknowledgements (which I also cried at, because I don't want this to be the end) where he says "the cool thing about trilogies is you get to use every last part of the buffalo". By fuck did he use every last part--everything goes down in this finale. All the town lore combines and Proofrock undergoes it's one last hectic and gory night of chaos and blood-shed.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
catsandbookstacks's review against another edition
3.0
Book three of the Indian Lake Trilogy pulls no punches with the esoteric horror movie references and elaborate deaths. I love Jade in My Heart Is a Chainsaw and Don't Fear the Reaper, so I had really high hopes for the final installment.
The first 30% had me riveted but then fell flat. With the change of POV between all the books, the first person point of view in this ended up being my least favourite. Jade wasn't back to her fever dream dialogue of book one but she just couldn't keep my attention with the meandering. There ended up being too many out of nowhere threads to wrap up and I lost my sense of caring. I don't know how I managed to be bored with chainsaws, bears, and "Chucky" but it happened.
Happy to have read and finished the trilogy, but I think I'll be imagining that it's only a duology.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Ableism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Colonisation