sammii10113's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
sararose013's review
3.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.
Lex is a snarky, badass chick that's not afraid of anything, which is good, since she's a contestant on a reality show called It's Behind You! She and four other contestants must survive the night in the Haunted Umber Gorge where the legendary Puckered Maiden eats the hearts of her victims. As secrets come to light and tensions rise, they realize someone there has a darker motive than prize money.
I love horror, thrillers, and murder mysteries, and this book combines all 3, so I assumed it would be a slam dunk read. Sadly, it left me a little wanting.
The characters were all kind of annoying, though I did enjoy the references to which characters they would be in a horror movie and when they would die. Lex, for all her snark, was super annoying and hypocritical. She complained about how much of a showman Python was, while doing the exact same thing. And sadly, there was next to no character development - they all stayed annoying, even in the midst of this life-changing trauma. There was a brief, brief moment where we saw some realness coming from two characters, but they immediately stomped it to death and buried it where no one could see they were actually not giant jerks.
The pacing was surprisingly a little slow; it was definitely a slow-burn creep factor, but the creep factor was spectacular. Whispering voice, tunnels collapsing, creepy dolls appearing, all sprinkled with a heavy dose of murder? Exactly what I needed for a gloomy day. Unfortunately, it took such a long time to get the mystery part, and the twists were pretty transparent. I was starting to wonder how the book was going to wrap up, but the answer was extremely quickly. Instead of showing us how it ends, it goes to a wrap-up interview without actually showing anything.
I did finish the book, and it was fine. It definitely won't be one of those books I reread, but I will be recommending it to teen horror/murder mystery readers.
Lex is a snarky, badass chick that's not afraid of anything, which is good, since she's a contestant on a reality show called It's Behind You! She and four other contestants must survive the night in the Haunted Umber Gorge where the legendary Puckered Maiden eats the hearts of her victims. As secrets come to light and tensions rise, they realize someone there has a darker motive than prize money.
I love horror, thrillers, and murder mysteries, and this book combines all 3, so I assumed it would be a slam dunk read. Sadly, it left me a little wanting.
The characters were all kind of annoying, though I did enjoy the references to which characters they would be in a horror movie and when they would die. Lex, for all her snark, was super annoying and hypocritical. She complained about how much of a showman Python was, while doing the exact same thing. And sadly, there was next to no character development - they all stayed annoying, even in the midst of this life-changing trauma. There was a brief, brief moment where we saw some realness coming from two characters, but they immediately stomped it to death and buried it where no one could see they were actually not giant jerks.
The pacing was surprisingly a little slow; it was definitely a slow-burn creep factor, but the creep factor was spectacular. Whispering voice, tunnels collapsing, creepy dolls appearing, all sprinkled with a heavy dose of murder? Exactly what I needed for a gloomy day. Unfortunately, it took such a long time to get the mystery part, and the twists were pretty transparent. I was starting to wonder how the book was going to wrap up, but the answer was extremely quickly. Instead of showing us how it ends, it goes to a wrap-up interview without actually showing anything.
I did finish the book, and it was fine. It definitely won't be one of those books I reread, but I will be recommending it to teen horror/murder mystery readers.
ristu's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
alymoonnn's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
ashleyreadstoomuch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brandilovesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
allypkuhn's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
jen776's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sabireads84's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Kathryn Foxfield for letting me read “Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are” in exchange for an honest review.
The cover!!! Creepy much? It’s super awesome, the Color’s are right, the background, the fond, the girl in the white dress… it’s a 10/10.
The book unfortunately was no ten for me. I found it really difficult to get into it. The characters were all kind of nasty and arrogant, it did not appeal to me at all, even though I usually like some kind of bitchyness.
“It’s Behind You” is a reality Tv show that’s supposed to be real and spook the crap out of you. This time around the contestants are locked into the Umber Gorge caves haunted by the “Puckered Maiden” who eats your hearts. Sounds like fun, right?
Five contestants compete for 10000 dollars (or pounds?!).
Will all of them survive the night?
Who has hidden secrets?
Is the Maiden real?
The book has a great concept. I love the idea. I like to read the social media/reality tv trope. But jeez, do all of the characters have to be so super stereotype and downright ridiculous? I didn’t like anyone and at some point I wanted the Maiden to take them all away. I can deal with bitchyness, really. But give me at least one character I can root for. It took my interest for the story away, totally. The characters try to be so witty and cool, that it seems fake. They have absolutely no depth and no development. I feel lean for bashing someone’s hard work, but it simply did not work out for me.
It was a painful read for me and I was close to throw the proverbial towel.
A story with a lot of potential, wasted. The writing was inconsistent and juvenile to me. Once again I feel like I have outgrown my YA days and am simply the wrong audience.
2 ⭐️ for me and I feel generous today.
The cover!!! Creepy much? It’s super awesome, the Color’s are right, the background, the fond, the girl in the white dress… it’s a 10/10.
The book unfortunately was no ten for me. I found it really difficult to get into it. The characters were all kind of nasty and arrogant, it did not appeal to me at all, even though I usually like some kind of bitchyness.
“It’s Behind You” is a reality Tv show that’s supposed to be real and spook the crap out of you. This time around the contestants are locked into the Umber Gorge caves haunted by the “Puckered Maiden” who eats your hearts. Sounds like fun, right?
Five contestants compete for 10000 dollars (or pounds?!).
Will all of them survive the night?
Who has hidden secrets?
Is the Maiden real?
The book has a great concept. I love the idea. I like to read the social media/reality tv trope. But jeez, do all of the characters have to be so super stereotype and downright ridiculous? I didn’t like anyone and at some point I wanted the Maiden to take them all away. I can deal with bitchyness, really. But give me at least one character I can root for. It took my interest for the story away, totally. The characters try to be so witty and cool, that it seems fake. They have absolutely no depth and no development. I feel lean for bashing someone’s hard work, but it simply did not work out for me.
It was a painful read for me and I was close to throw the proverbial towel.
A story with a lot of potential, wasted. The writing was inconsistent and juvenile to me. Once again I feel like I have outgrown my YA days and am simply the wrong audience.
2 ⭐️ for me and I feel generous today.