The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
perculiarpenny's review against another edition
4.0
I will start off by saying that I do not usually read horror, however I was intrigued by Sarah Lotzâs book The Three last year and when I read it I loved every last page. Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg collaborate on books under the name S.L. Grey, and together they wrote The Mall.Once again Lotz has set an interesting premise which caught my attention.
Dan works in the bookshop in the mall, he hates the dull job and doesnât particularly like most of the people he works with. Rhoda is babysitting for her cousin. She leaves the boy in the bookstore while she goes to score some cocaine, however when she gets back the boy is gone and no one seems to even remember seeing him with her. Furious at Dan for lying about seeing them she accosts him by his car when he leaves and bullies him into letting her back into the mall after hours to find the boy. After taking a wrong turn in one of the corridors behind the shops with Dan last saw the boy, the two find themselves lost. As they go deeper and deeper beneath the mall strange text message start appearing on their phones and they realise they are begin watched.
When they do make it back to the mall it is to find a whole new world which S.L. Grey has put a huge amount of thought into. Upon first arriving there it seems to be just the same as their own world, but the further in they go the more disturbing this world is revealed to be. As horrific as this place was, I found myself glued to the book, eager to know more. The world building in this book is beautifully done and Rhoda and Danâs reactions to everything are spot on.
I found this book to very creepy more than anything, to the point where I was uneasy about turning off the light when I went to bed after reading it one night. It was a very interesting read, one which will play on your mind for a while after finishing it.
Dan works in the bookshop in the mall, he hates the dull job and doesnât particularly like most of the people he works with. Rhoda is babysitting for her cousin. She leaves the boy in the bookstore while she goes to score some cocaine, however when she gets back the boy is gone and no one seems to even remember seeing him with her. Furious at Dan for lying about seeing them she accosts him by his car when he leaves and bullies him into letting her back into the mall after hours to find the boy. After taking a wrong turn in one of the corridors behind the shops with Dan last saw the boy, the two find themselves lost. As they go deeper and deeper beneath the mall strange text message start appearing on their phones and they realise they are begin watched.
When they do make it back to the mall it is to find a whole new world which S.L. Grey has put a huge amount of thought into. Upon first arriving there it seems to be just the same as their own world, but the further in they go the more disturbing this world is revealed to be. As horrific as this place was, I found myself glued to the book, eager to know more. The world building in this book is beautifully done and Rhoda and Danâs reactions to everything are spot on.
I found this book to very creepy more than anything, to the point where I was uneasy about turning off the light when I went to bed after reading it one night. It was a very interesting read, one which will play on your mind for a while after finishing it.
archaicrobin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Dan and Rhoda are two unlikely allies that end up in a twisted alternate version of the mall after looking for a lost child. Rhoda is an abrasive, drug addict just trying to survive and Dan is a spoiled rich mall employee with no confidence and an overprotective mom. Together they traverse through this dark mall where monsters and disfigured people shop till they drop.Â
This book is weird, it starts off ok with mediocre first person narratives switching between Rhoda and Dan and the writing does not get better, it gets worse. I know S.L. Grey is a combination of two writers, but the fact that you can tell this was written by two very different people is not a good thing. The characters feel like entirely different people halfway through book and I donât know if this is because a different author is suddenly writing or if the skill is just nonexistent. Dan and Rhoda are not likable characters to begin with but in the first half of the novel they at least made sense and had a fun dynamic. The second half of the novel theyâre completely out of character and make decisions that make literally no sense, and no longer have that fun dynamic. Rhoda suddenly goes from being a rough abrasive adult to being a sweet supportive girlfriend? Dan goes from beating a sensitive book dealer to being a rude, aggressive, and confrontational jerk. There is no reason for this character shift and itâs not explored! They just roughly make statements about how âthe mall changed usâ okâŚ..
In addition to the characters being inconsistent and unlikeable the story doesnât really make any sense either. You find out nothing, you donât know what the mall is, where it is, how it exists, why it exists, who are the people living there, how do people get there, who is âmanagementâ, nothing. The first half of the book youâre at least interested hoping the two unravel these secrets but nothing of the sort happens. Honestly the book should end at the halfway point, because the entire second half of the book was boring, pointless, and just not good.Â
The last problem I had with this book is the excessive use of the slur r****d. I donât know if one author just loves it, because the word was not used until halfway through the novel but once one character says it, suddenly it appears every other sentence in regards to everyone and everything and itâs honestly disgraceful. I know some people donât see a problem with the R slur but personally I do, and I think itâs really distasteful to use it once let alone the 500 times itâs written in this book. Throwing around hurtful terms doesnât make your book edgy or cool or comedic, itâs just embarrassing and distasteful.Â
Iâm honestly shocked by all the 4 and 5 star reviews after finishing this because not even the horror is done well. I can see maybe enjoying all the out there craziness of the body horror in this book, or the social commentary on consumerism, but still not enough to warrant 4 or 5 stars. This books is poorly written in every aspect and I donât recommend it at all. I read The Apartment by S.L. Grey and greatly enjoyed that one, but The Mall is just a waste of so many things.Â
This book is weird, it starts off ok with mediocre first person narratives switching between Rhoda and Dan and the writing does not get better, it gets worse. I know S.L. Grey is a combination of two writers, but the fact that you can tell this was written by two very different people is not a good thing. The characters feel like entirely different people halfway through book and I donât know if this is because a different author is suddenly writing or if the skill is just nonexistent. Dan and Rhoda are not likable characters to begin with but in the first half of the novel they at least made sense and had a fun dynamic. The second half of the novel theyâre completely out of character and make decisions that make literally no sense, and no longer have that fun dynamic. Rhoda suddenly goes from being a rough abrasive adult to being a sweet supportive girlfriend? Dan goes from beating a sensitive book dealer to being a rude, aggressive, and confrontational jerk. There is no reason for this character shift and itâs not explored! They just roughly make statements about how âthe mall changed usâ okâŚ..
In addition to the characters being inconsistent and unlikeable the story doesnât really make any sense either. You find out nothing, you donât know what the mall is, where it is, how it exists, why it exists, who are the people living there, how do people get there, who is âmanagementâ, nothing. The first half of the book youâre at least interested hoping the two unravel these secrets but nothing of the sort happens. Honestly the book should end at the halfway point, because the entire second half of the book was boring, pointless, and just not good.Â
The last problem I had with this book is the excessive use of the slur r****d. I donât know if one author just loves it, because the word was not used until halfway through the novel but once one character says it, suddenly it appears every other sentence in regards to everyone and everything and itâs honestly disgraceful. I know some people donât see a problem with the R slur but personally I do, and I think itâs really distasteful to use it once let alone the 500 times itâs written in this book. Throwing around hurtful terms doesnât make your book edgy or cool or comedic, itâs just embarrassing and distasteful.Â
Iâm honestly shocked by all the 4 and 5 star reviews after finishing this because not even the horror is done well. I can see maybe enjoying all the out there craziness of the body horror in this book, or the social commentary on consumerism, but still not enough to warrant 4 or 5 stars. This books is poorly written in every aspect and I donât recommend it at all. I read The Apartment by S.L. Grey and greatly enjoyed that one, but The Mall is just a waste of so many things.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Fatphobia, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Blood, Classism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Cursing
nat1577's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. This is the second book I've read from this author, and after the first book (The Apartment) being a bit of a disappointment, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, this book was just so good. I loved the characters - honestly, it was refreshing to see such flawed characters, both emotionally and physically, because it doesn't always happen in books. I also liked how the author handled the changes in the character's attitudes and personalities as the story progressed, as well as their relationship with each other. It never felt rushed or unnatural.
Just some warning though, what you get out of this book may not be what you went in expecting. Reading the summary, I thought it'd be a straight-up horror story. After reading some of the reviews on this site prior to beginning the book, I changed my perspective on this somewhat, and thought it'd be more of a gory, psychological thriller, than a straight up scary story.
The novel starts of that way. The journey to the other mall has a lot of dark, creepy moments; I wouldn't call it scary, but it's the type of thing I'd expect from a book of this genre. When they actually reach the 'other mall' however, the general atmosphere of the book shifted. From this point, I did not find it scary, or even the slightest bit creepy. If anything, it felt more like a sci-fi novel at times, rather than a horror novel. This is not a criticism however; there may have been a shift in genre, but I still really enjoyed this story. If anything, I liked the 'other mall' parts more than the lead-up to this section of the novel. However, if you go in expecting a terrifying reading experience, with dark corridors, creepy mannequins, a haunted mall, ect. you might be slightly disappointed.
As I've already mentioned, the parts I loved most in this book was the time spent in the 'other mall.' I just loved the warped design of this mall, and how the author took aspects of the malls we're used to seeing, and changed it to this whacky, gory depiction. I found this book to be a genuinely fun read. The creepy, messed-up versions of shops, cinemas, workers, ect. were just great, and were actually really creative. There were some creepy moments during this section of the book (look out for the cinema scene) but overall I just found it a really fun read. It almost reminded me of a more adult version of a goosebump book, which definitely gave me a much welcome sense of nostalgia.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book. I know I'll be reading it a second time at some point. I borrowed the book from my local library, but I already have plans to buy my own copy. It may not be exactly what you expected, and I don't know if I'd class it as a 'horror' novel, but it's a great book, and definitely worth checking out.
Just some warning though, what you get out of this book may not be what you went in expecting. Reading the summary, I thought it'd be a straight-up horror story. After reading some of the reviews on this site prior to beginning the book, I changed my perspective on this somewhat, and thought it'd be more of a gory, psychological thriller, than a straight up scary story.
The novel starts of that way. The journey to the other mall has a lot of dark, creepy moments; I wouldn't call it scary, but it's the type of thing I'd expect from a book of this genre. When they actually reach the 'other mall' however, the general atmosphere of the book shifted. From this point, I did not find it scary, or even the slightest bit creepy. If anything, it felt more like a sci-fi novel at times, rather than a horror novel. This is not a criticism however; there may have been a shift in genre, but I still really enjoyed this story. If anything, I liked the 'other mall' parts more than the lead-up to this section of the novel. However, if you go in expecting a terrifying reading experience, with dark corridors, creepy mannequins, a haunted mall, ect. you might be slightly disappointed.
As I've already mentioned, the parts I loved most in this book was the time spent in the 'other mall.' I just loved the warped design of this mall, and how the author took aspects of the malls we're used to seeing, and changed it to this whacky, gory depiction. I found this book to be a genuinely fun read. The creepy, messed-up versions of shops, cinemas, workers, ect. were just great, and were actually really creative. There were some creepy moments during this section of the book (look out for the cinema scene) but overall I just found it a really fun read. It almost reminded me of a more adult version of a goosebump book, which definitely gave me a much welcome sense of nostalgia.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book. I know I'll be reading it a second time at some point. I borrowed the book from my local library, but I already have plans to buy my own copy. It may not be exactly what you expected, and I don't know if I'd class it as a 'horror' novel, but it's a great book, and definitely worth checking out.
thatsciencedad's review against another edition
2.0
From what I gather this tripe was written by two authors - it fucking shows.
Disjointed.
Sloppy.
Tedious.
What's even worse; the whole frackin' book is a set up for a sequel. oh fuck no, that shit ain't cool.
The ESLR don't fucking read this stamp of approval.
tchristman's review against another edition
2.0
Weird. While looking for a lost child in the bowels of a mall, a junkie and a book store clerk enter a creepy surreal fantasy world where the motto is shop till you drop, literally dead. It was kind of disjointed and didn't ever really explain what was happening. It seemed primarily a set up for a sequel which always kind of pisses me off...
thaydra's review against another edition
3.0
Strange book. I enjoyed it, but was a bit confused about what was really going on. I did like the characters.
ziwxbhld's review against another edition
1.0
I'm convinced this is an attempt to produce the most boring, pointless and yet massively lengthy novel in existence. What actually happens here? An unlikeable main character meets a similarly unlikeable character, they share an over-excitedly described series of unimaginative events, then realise that Chuck Palahniuk's ideas about consumerism need reiterating for people who are too thick to 'get' Fight Club. God, was this awful.
lynn_k's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! It was creepy, gross, and disturbing. I've worked in malls so I understand how they can feel "off" after hours or in the service corridors. The way the characters developed and grew was realistic. I kinda want to go to the mall now.
mistrum_crowe's review against another edition
5.0
I would recommend this heartily to horror fans. The imagery is visceral and imaginative, and the horror elements are well-implemented. I would say that those with a weak stomach should avoid this, along with those who are easily shocked by swearing. It's a book that took me a while to get into, but I'm very glad that I persevered.