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hue's review against another edition
3.0
Otherwise it was an interesting story, and though it jumped a bit strange at times I liked that it was him looking back at his childhood and how strange things then seemed even stranger now. I'd say it's still more sad than it is scary, but I enjoyed it regardless.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder
limina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
This story does the backwards-forwards in time format, which at times I did find hard to follow; I think it feels what way because it was originally serialized. Each chapter is likely each entry in the series. The story itself mostly covers the narrator's childhood and unsettling things that happened to him. I will say that I found adding content warnings to this, so I'll throw in an obscured description. All in all, be patient. The end is stomach churning and breathtaking.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Bullying and Grief
sp00ky_girl28's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Stalking
Moderate: Animal death, Dementia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying, Pedophilia, and Murder
samantha914'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Blood, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Bullying and Fatphobia
amandalove2bme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
marslotus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Blood
hailey_horror's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
bashsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, and Cursing
maniacjac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Blood, and Kidnapping
killmoore_'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Penpal is a story that takes us on a journey into the past as a man works to unravel the mystery of his lost friend and the unsettling experiences of his childhood. It is dripping with dread, and each story leaves you feeling like maaaybe you should check to make sure the doors are locked one more time before heading to bed.
What makes Penpal successful for me is what we are left without. We never see the monster. In fact, there is a significant section of this book that works to shut down the idea of our villain as the Boogeyman - he's just a man.
On its own, Penpal is horrific, but as a parent myself with 2 boys in the age range of our MC, it is absolutely gut wrenching.
I'm not giving this 5 stars simply because of the format - it reads very much like a nosleep post (which it is) and tends to be a bit wordy and disconnected at points. However, if nosleep is your jam, or maybe you just want to read something that will leave you sick to your stomach, Penpal is the perfect novel for you.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail