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skillyillian's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- characters were some of the best I've ever read in terms of uniqueness, motivation, flaws, and realness
- those houses are so god damn fucking cool and I loved them so much
- love a thriller with magic that isn't Stephen King or Dean Koontz being creepy in such 80s men ways
- plot twist after plot twist after fucking plot twist dude oh my god that was insane and legitimately exciting
- I haven't read almost anything that quickly since acotar almost two years ago. My library has a two week limit on this instead of three bc it's new and I legitimately finished this in like. Six days. DEVOURED it.
- prose is 10/10, some of the best descriptors I've read in a hot minute
- mood and setting were phenomenal, give me more darkened backwoods creeping into the edges of town, give me more off-putting basements with many limbed mannequins and scratch marks on the door
No fucking notes, I literally can't think of a single thing about this book that I didn't just eat up
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Self harm, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, and Death of parent
gracescanlon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Wonder State combines my favorite story elements within its pages: the Southern Gothic, friendships, magical realism, and a quest. It’s an utterly captivating and enchanting story about a group of six unlikely friends on a quest for local magical locations during their senior year of high school. It also follows the continuation of that unfinished quest 15 years after high school graduation, after one of them goes missing.
In The Wonder State, Murphy touches on many important themes, including classism, poverty, addiction, and abuse, among others. Her characters, their prejudices, insecurities, and struggles, are all believable, especially in their teenage minds. She has a talent for capturing the moral complexity of the human person - no one is wholly good or wholly bad. Murphy shows through her characters that people make mistakes (it’s inevitable); it’s what they do after making that mistake that determines if they are more of a good person or bad person.
I found putting this book down difficult, even if moments before picking it up I was ready to turn out my lamp and sleep for the night. I always seemed to read the whole of at least two or three chapters every time I began to read it.
The ending, though I can see how some might find it disappointing, was perfection - to me. It was, after all, the falling action. I loved how quiet the ending was, how peaceful and hopeful - a perfect contrast and conclusion to a high-tension story.
I have only one more word: Brava!!!!!
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol