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meganemarshall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I'm not gonna sit here and argue if it was believable or not. It's a book. It's fiction.
However, most of the MC in this book are teenagers or early 20 somethings, and they are morons on their best days. So I just allowed that to just take me through the book. And I got to enjoy reading it without contemplating some bigger picture, like if it could happen or if it was ridiculous or not.
The only part of this book that fails is characterization. Cause it's written in the interview style, you don't really get to dive deep into any particular character. Brock pops up the most, and he is the main boogeyman. There's just no great character arch for anyone in the book, which is the only thing it falls flat on. However, I think the plot, the setting, the grittiness, and the horror/gore make up for it.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Cannibalism
poirot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
directorpurry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Vomit
Minor: Child death
pax007's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
zgreads'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
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
gabgon2597's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
vyralvyris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cannibalism
harley_quinn's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
5.0
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
cryptidenthusiast's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, and Violence
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.75
“To think our young people are capable of what we saw chills the blood for a very long time.”
It's true that I don't tend to read a lot of proper horror titles, but I saw Fantasticland mentioned and I couldn't resist adding it to my TBR. I have a weak spot for an amusement park setting, and there was just something about this premise that sounded both terrifying and absolutely fascinating. I have to say this before I continue though: this book isn't for everyone and you definitely have to suspend your disbelief to be able to get a positive reading experience. If you are able to do that, make sure to brace yourself for a extremely twisted ride! Seriously, this basically reads like Lord Of The Flies on acid, but set in an amusement park after a hurricane hits. I wasn't expecting the non fiction vibe of this story though; Fantasticland is written in a way that makes you feel like you are reading the result of an investigation by a journalist. This journalist helps narrate the story, although the plot mainly consists in first-person accounts of people present at the park. The interviews are presented in a way that slowly reveals just how bad things got before they were finally rescued... And boy, things get properly twisted and graphic long before that final page. Torture, mutilation and even cannibalism; nothing is too much in this story. What I did find a bit lacking was the explanation of how things escalated so quickly after the hurricane hit... I was expecting something more elaborated, or at least more of an answer to that question. That said, I can't deny that this was a perfect Halloween read.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail