Reviews

3.5 stars. this book was pretty good! i think it was pretty predictable, though. I liked the diversity of the characters, but they were very flat and needed more of a backstory. I have been a fan of this author’s work in the past and this book did not disappoint.

scrollsofdragons's review against another edition

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4.0

this had some spooky moments but the moment they left the cabin, it lost that a bit.

readabookorfive's review against another edition

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4.0

I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING

slstratton22's review against another edition

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1.0

I hate that I have to say this, but I’m truly disappointed in this book. It made absolutely no sense to me. There was so much back and forth between the current time, and then there were so many flashbacks. There were so many side stories, and character explanations that it felt like the main story got lost on the pages.

I hate when I don’t like books, but this one was just not it for me.

rhensie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

I picked up this book without looking at the reviews, because I loved Nijkamp's At The End of Everything so damn much. In hindsight, seeing these reviews is super confusing to me. Is this the best written novel in the world? No, indeed it's not even close to my favourite of the author's. You can tell that there has been a lot of growth in their writing between these two books.

But, it is compelling and gripping (despite figuring out the 'Big Bad' pretty fast), and this is most certainly not 'forced diversity'. This is a story that very much acknowledges that queer and disabled kids tend to come together and, furthermore, how people in positions of power can exploit them and their desperate wish for friends.

Also, this book criminally undersells itself by not mentioning the DND elements in the synopsis. These really make the book for me - I absolutely loved the GM narrative interludes.

tyiennasreads's review against another edition

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slow-paced

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

3.5

flat221b's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Marieke does it again! Another page-turner for my collection. I simply could not put it down (except for around the climax - I shouldn’t have been reading at night! 😨) It goes between 5 POVs of a friend group who battles struggles internally, within themselves, and within their group. Has a true DND feel to it that I really appreciated!

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