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girldetectives's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Not everything is at is seems on Influencer Island. Pitched as the place to be for influencers, the mysterious Wyatt James' art installation quickly turns into something much more sinister as secrets are revealed, horrors are broadcasted to the world, and social media stars are picked off one by one*.
*Sort of. Sometimes more than one by one.
The premise for this book is interesting, and I appreciated the podcast format - it was a great way to quickly dive into a story with a lot of parts. However, I felt as though there were some important beats that were missed that could have really made an impact. This book moved too quickly for me to be invested in all of the plots - there wasn't breathing room between each reveal and resolution. In particular, I wish that there had been more development of the romance (or no inclusion of it) and more time spent with the competition itself. Also, I know it can be difficult to do via transcript, but I wish we'd seen a little more character differentiation and development.
This was a quick read for me, but I don't know that I'd pick it up again.
*Sort of. Sometimes more than one by one.
The premise for this book is interesting, and I appreciated the podcast format - it was a great way to quickly dive into a story with a lot of parts. However, I felt as though there were some important beats that were missed that could have really made an impact. This book moved too quickly for me to be invested in all of the plots - there wasn't breathing room between each reveal and resolution. In particular, I wish that there had been more development of the romance (or no inclusion of it) and more time spent with the competition itself. Also, I know it can be difficult to do via transcript, but I wish we'd seen a little more character differentiation and development.
This was a quick read for me, but I don't know that I'd pick it up again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Greater Path LLC for the e-ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Death of parent
megs_readstoomuch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Gore
booksaremysoulmates's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
2.0
I recieved this as an arc a while back and finally decided to read it, since I felt like the title and description gave me more autumn vibes. Anyway, the concept of this story is so good but the execution is lacking a lot, at least for me. The storyline felt rushed on some important stuff and completely dragged on stuff that felt quite unimportant to the storyline. Also I wish there was more depth to the characters as well as more depth to the actual plot on the island…since that whole thing seemed to be over in a blink of an eye, at least it felt like it. Personally I thought the idea of the story being told on a podcast format was genius but the execution again was too confusing with the time jumps from the story within the podcast. This had so much potential but sadly it wasn‘t as good as it could‘ve been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Grief, Murder, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
pages_with_a_preoccupied_prin's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wanted to love this book, with its original concept, the message it was trying to portray and the unconventional nature of the way it was written, but it just fell a bit flat for me.
I felt that there could have been much more character development. Even the ones that developed the most (Carrie, Cal and Kiana), still didn't develop enough, given what they went through, in my opinion.
I also felt that some aspects in the story didn't quite match up in the end. I came away with quite a few questions - How was everyone involved? What are the further links from Wonderland? What role was Kaylyn playing?
I felt there were some scenes that had me hooked and could have had a bit more. Both the first and second challenges could have been developed more and had the suspense built further, they were great dread filled scenes, but could have gone further.
It is a dark, fast paced, action packed book with a great concept, I just wanted a bit more from it. The twist was fun and the involvement of the art and underground Hollywood is intriguing. I also like that it's part of a wider collection of books that can be read together or separately.
Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I felt that there could have been much more character development. Even the ones that developed the most (Carrie, Cal and Kiana), still didn't develop enough, given what they went through, in my opinion.
I also felt that some aspects in the story didn't quite match up in the end. I came away with quite a few questions - How was everyone involved? What are the further links from Wonderland? What role was Kaylyn playing?
I felt there were some scenes that had me hooked and could have had a bit more. Both the first and second challenges could have been developed more and had the suspense built further, they were great dread filled scenes, but could have gone further.
It is a dark, fast paced, action packed book with a great concept, I just wanted a bit more from it. The twist was fun and the involvement of the art and underground Hollywood is intriguing. I also like that it's part of a wider collection of books that can be read together or separately.
Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Addiction, Body horror, Death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
our_bookish_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Thank you Netgalley, Greater Path LLC and Kyle Rutkin for the ARC.
While this is classed as a Horror (it wasn't), it's more of a mystery/thriller written as a podcast transcript style investigation. I was hoping for more blood, gore and horror in general. Don't get me wrong, this was a very unique way to write out this book and I did enjoy it to a degree, just not near as much as I had hoped.
While this is classed as a Horror (it wasn't), it's more of a mystery/thriller written as a podcast transcript style investigation. I was hoping for more blood, gore and horror in general. Don't get me wrong, this was a very unique way to write out this book and I did enjoy it to a degree, just not near as much as I had hoped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
read_with_loren's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Unique writing style, sort of like a podcast transcript. I personally enjoyed the creativity and change of pace but it’s not for everyone so keep that in mind. I have no doubt this would make an amazing audiobook. This book is quite graphic and is recommended for those 18+.
The premise of the book is very interesting and creative but it didn’t meet the expectations it set for itself. This book is trying so hard to be shocking and different that it failed to have a fluid storyline. It was too all over the place and was missing things I consider to be important while over discussing other things. Although I do enjoy the writing style I don’t believe it was the right choice for this particular story. I think the style was a big part of why it felt like there was so much missing. Additionally I found the big reveal of who Wyatt James truly is disappointing.
The premise of the book is very interesting and creative but it didn’t meet the expectations it set for itself. This book is trying so hard to be shocking and different that it failed to have a fluid storyline. It was too all over the place and was missing things I consider to be important while over discussing other things. Although I do enjoy the writing style I don’t believe it was the right choice for this particular story. I think the style was a big part of why it felt like there was so much missing. Additionally I found the big reveal of who Wyatt James truly is disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, and Murder
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