Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Ritual

The first half of this book is incredibly chilling and eerie. Was nearly late for work once because i was so engrossed. The second half, as the other reviews have said, is a little less gripping in my opinion. But even though I didn't enjoy the direction of the second half as much as the first, the writing, the atmosphere and the imagery is still incredible all the way through.

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penguingin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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kg18's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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asmei's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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violetturtledove's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This had me absolutely gripped the whole way through. It's a great mix of Scandinavian folklore and survival horror, with a good dash of 'spooky cabin in the woods'. I only felt really creeped out in the earlier chapters, but this is not faint praise as its a feeling I rarely get at all from books. By the time the creepiness faded for me, the tension was already high and it did not let up for the rest of the story. There's also a good amount of visceral horror so fans of gore will not be disappointed.

The characters were well fleshed out, if not particularly likeable, and by the end you certainly sympathise with the main character despite his faults.

It ends well too, there's enough left for the reader to think on without anything being left glaringly unanswered. This is the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be reading more.

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wytnie's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

it was a good read, i wish we got a bit more out of the other men in the group and i feel like the author is obsessed with trying to make some of his descriptions to detailed. Like sometimes he nailed it and other times it was just too much idk. All in all though i don't regret the read and want to watch the movie again.

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night_shift's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

4.0

Weirdly life affirming. So, so incredibly tense with an absolutely brutal and deserved ending. Leaving us until the very end to reveal the thing in full was a good move. Now to rewatch the movie to see how it compares (not super comparable in my memory, but was several years ago so idk)

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nnylelocin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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