A review by cinderrunner
We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

It is honestly impressive how metal, in essence not even just subject matter, this book is. I will admit, i wasn't overly impressed when i first started. I felt like it was taking too long to actually get anywhere. The plot doesnt really get rolling or exciting til maybe halfway through. I felt myself wishing Hendrix spent more time on them as a band and developed their connection a little better so their relationships had more omph. But the longer I read, the more the plot revealed, the more into it I got. Specifically around page 182 (in the edition I own) Kris starts playing guitar with a girl on the street and she talks about why she plays and the things that drive her. I read that passage and wanted to start snapping like i was at a poetry reading. If you are an artist of any kind, someone who really gets the drive to create for the sake of art not fame or money, the themes in this book are gonna hit home. Definitely recommend for you. Especially if youre an artist who is in alt subculture. I've only read 3 Hendrix books so far and can only recall the plot of this one and Final Girl Support Group enough to comment on them. But something I don't think people give Hendrix enough credit for his the social commentary and psychology behind some of these books. I get its easy to look past it with the camp factors and horror elements. Yet, its a really powerful part of the books when you notice it and it keeps making me rate them higher than i expect to. We Sold Our Souls would have been a 3 star read until the themes around society, its ambivalence to suffering, our obsession with shallow crap that doesnt matter, our selfishness, our obsession with treating the famous like gods, etc started becoming clearer to me. I love the full circle moment of ending on Melanie the way the book opens on Kris. Really wraps up the overall message of the book incredibly well. CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS ONE PLEASE! ESPECIALLY IF SA IS A TRIGGER FOR YOU. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings