stateofiction's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-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? No
3.0
Rating this book is definitely difficult. MAJOR trigger warning for significant animal cruelty/death written about very insensitively.
Plot wise, it was all over the place. It takes place over the course of like a day or two but there's so much happening and it's kind of hard to follow.
The characters were great in my opinion. They were archetypes for the typical 80s horror movie but I still found them quite enjoyable. They were a main push for continuing the story.
The writing was pretty bland and not great at all. It was part of why I couldn't figure out what was going on sometimes. The structure, on the other hand was stellar. It fit the indie-horror film genre perfectly.
The horror aspect: eh. I feel like it could have been very strong but disregarding the box as the mastermind, the two main killers were a porcelain doll (grow up) and a literal teddy bear (grow up!!). There was some body horror that was pretty decent but the majority of that aspect was animals. Did not appreciate it. One of the characters is a vet who "kills animals" regularly and refuses to have any sympathy or even use softer terms (putting animals down). It is so graphic and completely unnecessary.
Finally, the targeted age group for this book was very confusing. The main characters are teenagers and while there is older YA and younger YA, this seemed to switch between the two. The contents were very older YA due to the actions of the characters and the graphicness of the horror; however, the power of friendship was literally shoved down your throat. YA books have themes, obviously, but I truly despise any book that has such an aggressive theme that it occasionally pulls you out of the story.
Plot wise, it was all over the place. It takes place over the course of like a day or two but there's so much happening and it's kind of hard to follow.
The characters were great in my opinion. They were archetypes for the typical 80s horror movie but I still found them quite enjoyable. They were a main push for continuing the story.
The writing was pretty bland and not great at all. It was part of why I couldn't figure out what was going on sometimes. The structure, on the other hand was stellar. It fit the indie-horror film genre perfectly.
The horror aspect: eh. I feel like it could have been very strong but disregarding the box as the mastermind, the two main killers were a porcelain doll (grow up) and a literal teddy bear (grow up!!). There was some body horror that was pretty decent but the majority of that aspect was animals. Did not appreciate it. One of the characters is a vet who "kills animals" regularly and refuses to have any sympathy or even use softer terms (putting animals down). It is so graphic and completely unnecessary.
Finally, the targeted age group for this book was very confusing. The main characters are teenagers and while there is older YA and younger YA, this seemed to switch between the two. The contents were very older YA due to the actions of the characters and the graphicness of the horror; however, the power of friendship was literally shoved down your throat. YA books have themes, obviously, but I truly despise any book that has such an aggressive theme that it occasionally pulls you out of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, and Cancer
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