A review by pholcidae
Pet Sematary by Stephen King

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

Aside from the casual racism (using outdated terms for Native American people and unnecessarily bringing people’s skin colour to attention), a near-flawless book.

The story is paced perfectly and I have been reading it nonstop. The author’s use of language to create suspense and terror is reminiscent of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 

This was my first King novel and I think it was the perfect one to start on! Very tense and lots of fun easter eggs in there :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and War