tales_of_a_succubus's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
4.0
What's it about?
Derek Diver is infatuated with a married coworker and has yet to remember the previous lessons heartbreak gave him. When he doesn't want to feel any longer, how far will he go to numb the pain?
The plot in this is on the unique side, creating uncertainty with exactly where it's going. It is ultimately, for the first half, him trying to develop a romantic relationship with Scarlett, his married coworker. It's divided into acts with chapters in between them, sectioned off in the different stages of his journey which is entirely appropriate. Anyways, after heartbreak ensues one way or another (I ain't spoiling anything as per usual friends), he finds a murderous way to numb the pain. From there it doesn't necessarily seem to have an end goal, it's more so about his journey to not feel his emotions as intensely. I'm not gonna lie though, I was a little disappointed with the ending which is why it got dropped down to four stars. Yes, I liked the humor of the ending, it was awesome. But I wanted it go out with a bang (okay, maybe I'm too focused on "Dead Inside" and the way it wrapped up). Perhaps in true Chandler Morrison fashion, I was expecting more for the last chapter. Regardless, it remains a fun twist.
Derek Diver is our main character and he's potentially just as fucked up as our narrator from "Dead Inside", an impressive task. They even meet! He's someone who feels things too deeply and is tired of his emotions eating him alive on a daily basis. He'd do anything to not feel like this anymore and is desperate to find a way to numb it out on a long-term, if not permanent basis. Each heartbreak is ruining him. So when he finds the one thing that erases his pain, he faces the monster within and embraces it. We do dive into a few supporting characters, such as his friend Jack, his sister April, and Scarlett, the one he admires from the office. However, there isn't nearly as much to their development and this works in the story's case.
Scare Rating: 6 out of 10. There's a super gory scene in the last third of the book that even had me cringing and needing to take quick pauses. Holy shit it was bad but...so freaking good. I can handle a lot of gore and shock factors but it went above and beyond (of course I loved it!). However, the rest of this isn't all too scary. Keep in mind that this is NOT for sensitive readers and there are sexual stories and descriptions that would be a trigger for some people.
Can I just mention the Dead Inside easter eggs real quick throughout this was amazing?! I fucking adored it. As per usual, I enjoy Morrison's usual approach to a humorous narrator that you're bound to dislike but be intrigued by to the point where you'd be down for a book two.
I'd recommend this to splatterpunk fans, those looking for a tragic & dark love story, and those that don't believe happily ever should exist in everything you read.
4 stars
Derek Diver is infatuated with a married coworker and has yet to remember the previous lessons heartbreak gave him. When he doesn't want to feel any longer, how far will he go to numb the pain?
The plot in this is on the unique side, creating uncertainty with exactly where it's going. It is ultimately, for the first half, him trying to develop a romantic relationship with Scarlett, his married coworker. It's divided into acts with chapters in between them, sectioned off in the different stages of his journey which is entirely appropriate. Anyways, after heartbreak ensues one way or another (I ain't spoiling anything as per usual friends), he finds a murderous way to numb the pain. From there it doesn't necessarily seem to have an end goal, it's more so about his journey to not feel his emotions as intensely. I'm not gonna lie though, I was a little disappointed with the ending which is why it got dropped down to four stars. Yes, I liked the humor of the ending, it was awesome. But I wanted it go out with a bang (okay, maybe I'm too focused on "Dead Inside" and the way it wrapped up). Perhaps in true Chandler Morrison fashion, I was expecting more for the last chapter. Regardless, it remains a fun twist.
Derek Diver is our main character and he's potentially just as fucked up as our narrator from "Dead Inside", an impressive task. They even meet! He's someone who feels things too deeply and is tired of his emotions eating him alive on a daily basis. He'd do anything to not feel like this anymore and is desperate to find a way to numb it out on a long-term, if not permanent basis. Each heartbreak is ruining him. So when he finds the one thing that erases his pain, he faces the monster within and embraces it. We do dive into a few supporting characters, such as his friend Jack, his sister April, and Scarlett, the one he admires from the office. However, there isn't nearly as much to their development and this works in the story's case.
Scare Rating: 6 out of 10. There's a super gory scene in the last third of the book that even had me cringing and needing to take quick pauses. Holy shit it was bad but...so freaking good. I can handle a lot of gore and shock factors but it went above and beyond (of course I loved it!). However, the rest of this isn't all too scary. Keep in mind that this is NOT for sensitive readers and there are sexual stories and descriptions that would be a trigger for some people.
Can I just mention the Dead Inside easter eggs real quick throughout this was amazing?! I fucking adored it. As per usual, I enjoy Morrison's usual approach to a humorous narrator that you're bound to dislike but be intrigued by to the point where you'd be down for a book two.
I'd recommend this to splatterpunk fans, those looking for a tragic & dark love story, and those that don't believe happily ever should exist in everything you read.
4 stars
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