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A review by mikeiswhere
Dead Boys by Gabriel Squailia
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was very difficult for me to rate. I could easily have gone with 4 stars.
The setting is wonderfully imaginative, and first and foremost this book is about journeys, both physical and emotional, and the growth that we experience on the way. In that capacity, it is a roaring success. The characters, once they are established, experience real development which feels earned.
There are some issues. The initial pacing of this book is very strange. It feels that the early chapters are somewhat of a muddle before the plot really establishes. There is also a lot of learning about new characters in the form of those characters talking about themselves at length. If you like a soliloquy, your good, of not, buckle in.
I would also say that the body horror in this story is pretty manageable, outside of the opening chapter. That passage alone was almost enough to stop me reading. Just know that ot does calm down a bit. I am very glad that I did finish this one.
The setting is wonderfully imaginative, and first and foremost this book is about journeys, both physical and emotional, and the growth that we experience on the way. In that capacity, it is a roaring success. The characters, once they are established, experience real development which feels earned.
There are some issues. The initial pacing of this book is very strange. It feels that the early chapters are somewhat of a muddle before the plot really establishes. There is also a lot of learning about new characters in the form of those characters talking about themselves at length. If you like a soliloquy, your good, of not, buckle in.
I would also say that the body horror in this story is pretty manageable, outside of the opening chapter. That passage alone was almost enough to stop me reading. Just know that ot does calm down a bit. I am very glad that I did finish this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror