Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

37 reviews

celina246's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

he does small town horror so well. I had to skim/skip some of the extra material after the story ended personally; One For the Road was good but it should have ended there. 

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shannonredwine8's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0


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sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

While I have seen quite a few Stephen King film adaptations, this is the first time I’ve actually read his work. I was pleasantly surprised- I’ve often heard controversial things about King’s writing but generally enjoyed reading this one.

I was definitely spooked reading Salem’s Lot, there is a lot of suspense and action that I had to keep myself from reading ahead to see what became of it. King’s writing is very atmospheric, I was truly spooked by some of his descriptions! I did find the plot a little touch and go, the ending confused me as it included dates (October 1972-June 1975) but I was not sure what it had to do with the book. This may also just be an ebook error, though. I couldn’t tell.

The end did leave me wanting more, I wanted to know what became of Ben and Mark but I was also satisfied with leaving them determined to end the terror of the Lot. On creativity, I also am always going to be in Shirley Jackson’s corner. Yes, the book openly quotes and references Hill House, but it also felt as if it didn’t offer much more to the discussion and sometimes reduced it to plain text. Essentially, there were times I was a bit annoyed that it felt like a rip-off.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it as a fun read! I did not think it necessarily became a hallmark of vampire literature, but it was definitely scary, suspenseful, and really fun at some points. The characters are interesting and lovable, I was rooting for many of them (even the vampire kids against the bus driver!) and generally enjoyed the dialogue.

I would recommend this book to any vampire lover or new horror fan, Stephen King is of course a household name and has created so many iconic characters. It’s also always fun to read a story about evil vampires, as much as I loved Twilight as a kid!

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saarrr's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

Wat heerlijk om na een maand van bijna alleen maar romcoms weer eens in een spannende horror te duiken. Al waren er in dit verhaal een stuk minder slachtoffers gevallen als iedereen nou eerst goed controleerde wie er voor hun deur stond, in plaats van maar gewoon: "joe joe, kom binnen hoor!" te roepen. 

Dit is één van de eerste boeken die Stephen King heeft geschreven en het is zeker niet perfect, maar ook in dit oudere werk doet hij al waar hij in veel van zijn boeken zo goed in is: realistische horror schrijven, waarbij de enge dingen niet alleen de monsters onder het bed zijn (of in dit geval vampiers), maar ook de doodgewone personages die zo je buren kunnen zijn en een duistere kant hebben. Dit boek heeft een goede combinatie van de twee en ik ben er dol op. 

Waar ik wel moeite mee had, was de enorme hoeveelheid personages. Het verhaal komt wat traag op gang en opeens is er een hoofdstuk waarin in een rap tempo zo'n 20 à 30 personages worden geïntroduceerd. Ik ben een ramp met namen, met als gevolg dat ik regelmatig moest terugbladeren om te controleren wie wie nou is. 

Desondanks een spannend en leuk boek, die ik bij sommige hoofdstukken niet meer kon neerleggen. Het is niet mijn favoriet van hem, maar staat zeker hoog in mijn lijst. Bij de boeken van Stephen King is het altijd afwachten of het einde wel goed is, want eindes schrijven is helaas niet zijn sterkte kant (*kuch* Under the Dome *kuch*), maar gelukkig paste deze prima. Genoten!

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alanfollowsagraph's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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alex60517's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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sammybee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Boring but enjoyable towards the end.

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liblibby's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I never want to read Stephen King ever again. 

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klsreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

This is an impressive meditation on everyday evil and the plight of small town America (couched in the classic spooky story). The writing is excellent, and I could really feel the characters and setting. It was somewhat creepy, sometimes gross, and very tense. I knocked 1 star because the first 50% of the book is setting and character exposé. I really wanted something to happen, but when it finally moved, it kicked off. Also, there was only 1 main female character, and she almost exclusively talked about men. Most women characters were defined by men / mothering / their sexuality. It's not surprising for the time, but it's still disappointing. I had fun regardless.

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mxpringle's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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