kellyofcali's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mass/school shootings, Confinement, Child death, Grief, Bullying, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Animal death, Suicide, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Religious bigotry and Rape
cassieopeia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
kimberlyswalters's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, and Vomit
Minor: Car accident and Excrement
victoriarose12's review
- 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
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Torture, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death and Child abuse
monstersinspace's review
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Animal death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
geerbeer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Child death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Death, Rape, Blood, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Racism
vezreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
But like I said the plot was really good so I had to give this book a few stars
Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual violence
efurtak49's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Self harm, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Blood, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood
tbd24's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have a difficult time rating this because i feel like, technically, in some ways, it was a pretty good book. The writing was lush and evocative, and sense of horror well maintained and accentuated with moments of humor or banality or otherwise. However, I feel like the book had a lot of problems with realistic character choices. Tyler and Jaden are the only two people who feel like fully realized characters who have motive and personality and make wise and unwise choices. Every other named character makes choices that are convenient to the plot and every unnamed background character (the citizens of black springs, who seem to number in the thousands??) are just a faceless mass of mob mentality. I feel like the author spent little time convincing me that thousands of people would make the irrational choices they did, and more time moralizing that humanity is stupid and hopeless and violent. I am already biased against this opinion so i guess take this with a grain of salt. The last 25% of the book is just hitting you over the head with “people are stupid and violent and humanity sucks”, down to steve’s final decision to
Spoiler
let his wife and son die in a fire for literally no reason, after already realizing that Catherine had no power over the situationBeyond this, the main problem I had throughout the whole book was the authors blatant sexism. The only woman in this book with anything like power or agency was the literal witch, who’s literally wrapped in chains with her mouth and eyes sewn shut. Every description of a woman fell neatly into category of “ugly old hag”, “mom”, or “sexual object with no personality”. Not even any bitches! Sometimes women would cross contaminate, and be an ugly old hag who was at least worth it for the tits, or a mom who still put out every night for her husband. Even in moments when it made absolutely no sense, the author found a way to get a woman naked (ie;
Spoiler
the head council guy groping Griselda bizarrely, Jocelyn having a hallucination of being fucked by a boar, or the fact that she was inexplicably naked at the end???? literally why was she naked???Spoiler
the jocelyn/boar scene, i was so excited to have a moment of her pov and her taking action but nope fucked by a boar and as soon as she finds a man she becomes completely feeble againAnyway yeah I think that’s it. Some very stunning moments of evocative writing. Some equally stunning moments of sexism, nihilism, and general senseless violence. Not really my thing
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child death, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Excrement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Violence
stijn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It is a lot to comprehend, and I'm almost in shock by the ending? So no detailed review, but it is a great horror novel.
Time to read something lighthearted
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Death