Scan barcode
joensign's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
kailovesfrogs333's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
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 think this book works so much better as a podcast, as somebody who adores the podcast and finished it in 4 days. However, I'm still giving this book a 4-star because it has a special place in my heart, and because there were some very quotable moments in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Stalking
Minor: Cursing, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 rounded up! i was in a bit of a slump when i started this, and it didn’t fully pull me out of it tbh. i think switching from podcast to book dulled some of the overall excitement for me, but I really liked Keisha as a protagonist!
worldbuilding is a bit handwavy but fun nonetheless! this would be a good low stakes Halloween read
worldbuilding is a bit handwavy but fun nonetheless! this would be a good low stakes Halloween read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, and War
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I used to be big into podcasts but I haven’t listened to one in ages. I had no idea about Alice Isn’t Dead (in podcast OR book form) until I happened to notice it at B&N, read half of the description on the back and decided to buy it on a whim.
The premise is cool - Keisha’s wife goes missing, is presumed dead, and then Keisha sees her repeatedly popping up in the background of the news, so she goes looking for her and discovers way more than she bargained for. The story was well written and easy to read fast (short chapters!) but there were several points where I was just… bored. I wonder if I might’ve felt more emotionally invested if I’d listened to the podcast.
My favorite bit was the most relatable to me - Keisha, having resolved to remain single, sees Alice for the first time and thinks, “Well, shit.” And ain’t that just how it goes… lol Best laid plans.
For someone who LOVES horror, I didn’t read enough of it this year. I’m looking forward to reading more of it in 2024. Maybe I’ll find something actually scary for a change lol
The premise is cool - Keisha’s wife goes missing, is presumed dead, and then Keisha sees her repeatedly popping up in the background of the news, so she goes looking for her and discovers way more than she bargained for. The story was well written and easy to read fast (short chapters!) but there were several points where I was just… bored. I wonder if I might’ve felt more emotionally invested if I’d listened to the podcast.
My favorite bit was the most relatable to me - Keisha, having resolved to remain single, sees Alice for the first time and thinks, “Well, shit.” And ain’t that just how it goes… lol Best laid plans.
For someone who LOVES horror, I didn’t read enough of it this year. I’m looking forward to reading more of it in 2024. Maybe I’ll find something actually scary for a change lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Racism, Stalking, and War
Minor: Sexism and Gaslighting
olive_lol's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel overwhelmingly neutral about this book.
At first, I loved the way it took place almost entirely on the road, but the charm eventually wore off. Some of the pacing is a bit clunky—really fast at times before becoming really slow, with little middle ground. However, the descriptions were great and really added to the atmosphere (I especially loved the unique descriptions of sound).
A lot of parts, especially the central mystery, are pretty out there and the type of thing a reader probably couldn't guess. After a few reveals like that, it got harder for me to stay fully invested in trying to solve it myself.
The book has few frequently recurring characters besides Keishaand for the second half, Alice . It makes sense in the context of the story but still contributed to my difficulty staying invested. As a result, the novel feels like it has a smaller scope than it really does.
Overall, this was a novel with a unique road trip atmosphere, some great descriptions, and an odd storyline that left me not feeling very strongly about it one way or another.
At first, I loved the way it took place almost entirely on the road, but the charm eventually wore off. Some of the pacing is a bit clunky—really fast at times before becoming really slow, with little middle ground. However, the descriptions were great and really added to the atmosphere (I especially loved the unique descriptions of sound).
A lot of parts, especially the central mystery, are pretty out there and the type of thing a reader probably couldn't guess. After a few reveals like that, it got harder for me to stay fully invested in trying to solve it myself.
The book has few frequently recurring characters besides Keisha
Overall, this was a novel with a unique road trip atmosphere, some great descriptions, and an odd storyline that left me not feeling very strongly about it one way or another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Antisemitism, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Vomit
alouette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
maybe if i had realized this was based on a podcast i would've liked it better! as it was, i felt that it meandered and i wasn't really invested in the characters or plot. i thought the plot was cool after the fact, i just didn't care much in the moment, maybe because this kind of liminal/existential horror is not among my usual reading material. i'm more for antagonists with depth and morally explored motivations, not mindless drones. 3 stars for "meh" feelings on this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Violence
lanna_aud's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Death of parent
domreadsb00ks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Keisha's wife disappears, and Keisha subsequently dragged into a world of government conspiracies and the supernatural
This book genuinely confused me, and not in a good way. Or a bad way. It just completely confused me. It's a completely different book to what I'd expected from the blurb, but looking at the author's other books it's consistent with their style.
Towards the end of the book, the writer brought in themes of political extremism / hatred, but in all honesty it felt too ham-fisted, and the ending slightly too rushed for me too enjoy them fully. However, I did enjoy reading this book and it had some good twists.
This book genuinely confused me, and not in a good way. Or a bad way. It just completely confused me. It's a completely different book to what I'd expected from the blurb, but looking at the author's other books it's consistent with their style.
Towards the end of the book, the writer brought in themes of political extremism / hatred, but in all honesty it felt too ham-fisted, and the ending slightly too rushed for me too enjoy them fully. However, I did enjoy reading this book and it had some good twists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Gore, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
e_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This took me a while to get into, just because of the horror aspect. I’m not usually a horror reader by any means tbh, but I’ll do what I have to do for a queer book. I would recommend this to someone that liked Hank Green’s duology, and bonus if you liked Welcome to Nightvale. There were one or two things that felt like they were pulled from Nightvale plot points (specifically I’m thinking of a library scene) but they’re completely different story lines.
I’m not a podcast person, so I wasn’t comparing this book against the Alice Isn’t Dead podcast. From reading other reviews, I think that was to my benefit. The plot was a little hard to grasp at times, but I really enjoyed the way it all came together. The ending wrapped everything up very nicely. The casual queerness was also a major plus—there was the occasional mention of homophobia, but the book had queer main characters without their being queer being the main struggle (or even *a* struggle) they face in the book.
Overall, this novel really grew on me! Deducted one star for the horror element, which is more on me than the book.
I’m not a podcast person, so I wasn’t comparing this book against the Alice Isn’t Dead podcast. From reading other reviews, I think that was to my benefit. The plot was a little hard to grasp at times, but I really enjoyed the way it all came together. The ending wrapped everything up very nicely. The casual queerness was also a major plus—there was the occasional mention of homophobia, but the book had queer main characters without their being queer being the main struggle (or even *a* struggle) they face in the book.
Overall, this novel really grew on me! Deducted one star for the horror element, which is more on me than the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gun violence
mateoj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
a leetle on the nose/blunt in its theming, the pacing was kinda weird, made me sit and do a thousand yard stare for almost an hour. i enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Police brutality and Death of parent