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ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
This was fine. It didn’t feel really like horror? It also got very repetitive towards the end and I guessed one of the plot twists almost immediately.
But it was interesting to have a protagonist with an injured leg through the whole book. And I did enjoy the relationship between Latavia and the snake.
But it was interesting to have a protagonist with an injured leg through the whole book. And I did enjoy the relationship between Latavia and the snake.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Slavery
thissagreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-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? No
3.75
This was a pretty cool story! The ending felt rushed, but I’m hoping there’s a part 2, because it left me feeling ready for the next part of Latavia’s journey. I really LOVED that Latavia and Allison didn’t end up together. The both of them had too much trauma, and they both needed to do some personal growing- so I appreciate the author not giving the reader an easy romance ending but a realistic one instead! There was so much revenge and I LOVED it!!! Some people got what was coming to them, and it was satisfying. Latavia finds out that Pastor Thomas is Don, who 200 years ago, hunted the monster’s/snake’s son down to test on him and harm him. Obviously the monster/snake is about to kill the entire town but Don/Pastor Thomas makes a deal with the monster/snake to save the town from being eaten, by finding a “willing” body for the snake to eat, once a year, as punishment for harming and shortening the life of the monster’s/snake’s son.
The only way to kill the monster is using another monster’s blood, silver, and plasma. PLOT TWIST! Don/Pastor Thomas evilly spawned Allison without her knowledge, so she could be groomed to become the human sacrifice later at 18yrs old, full of the monster’s blood. Latavia finds out but doesn’t tell Allison, and also discovers that Pastor Thomas has been trapped in the town for 200 years and was trying to escape from the monster because once you make a deal with the monster, you’re tied to it and cannot go too far, ie, can’t leave the town. Well since Pastor Thomas has some of the monster’s/snake’s blood in him, he gains near immortality and the power to shape shift. So he played by the monster’s/snake’s rules but the whole time he was plotting to kill the monster/snake while basically being a cult leader to the town, convincing the people that the sacrifices were necessary, all so he could plot to escape! He’d have Allison killed (because she’s got the monster’s blood and that can kill the monster), and then the pastor was going to skip town because he’d no longer be tied to the snake. But because Latavia was an unwilling sacrifice and told the snake last minute, she made a deal with the snake HERSELF that she’d help find and destroy the barriers for the snake, so the snake could get revenge on Don/Pastor Thomas! And in return the snake would dole out murderous revenge on those who dragged Latavia to the woods to be sacrificed. In the end, since Allison was the last barrier, thus making Latavia weak all the time she was around her, so they decided they couldn’t be together. And since Latavia and the snake were pals by the end of the book, the revenge shifted towards Pastor Thomas, who escaped when the snake was shedding and at his weakest. So Latavia and the snake left town (he can shapeshift into a small garden snake) to find Pastor Thomas. This is a read I’d recommend because it also dive into the understanding of mental illness like depression, PTSD, anxiety, etc and I think the author did a pretty decent job handling those topics.
The only way to kill the monster is using another monster’s blood, silver, and plasma. PLOT TWIST! Don/Pastor Thomas evilly spawned Allison without her knowledge, so she could be groomed to become the human sacrifice later at 18yrs old, full of the monster’s blood. Latavia finds out but doesn’t tell Allison, and also discovers that Pastor Thomas has been trapped in the town for 200 years and was trying to escape from the monster because once you make a deal with the monster, you’re tied to it and cannot go too far, ie, can’t leave the town. Well since Pastor Thomas has some of the monster’s/snake’s blood in him, he gains near immortality and the power to shape shift. So he played by the monster’s/snake’s rules but the whole time he was plotting to kill the monster/snake while basically being a cult leader to the town, convincing the people that the sacrifices were necessary, all so he could plot to escape! He’d have Allison killed (because she’s got the monster’s blood and that can kill the monster), and then the pastor was going to skip town because he’d no longer be tied to the snake. But because Latavia was an unwilling sacrifice and told the snake last minute, she made a deal with the snake HERSELF that she’d help find and destroy the barriers for the snake, so the snake could get revenge on Don/Pastor Thomas! And in return the snake would dole out murderous revenge on those who dragged Latavia to the woods to be sacrificed. In the end, since Allison was the last barrier, thus making Latavia weak all the time she was around her, so they decided they couldn’t be together. And since Latavia and the snake were pals by the end of the book, the revenge shifted towards Pastor Thomas, who escaped when the snake was shedding and at his weakest. So Latavia and the snake left town (he can shapeshift into a small garden snake) to find Pastor Thomas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol