A review by danaslitlist
Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Thank you to Stephen Graham Jones, Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rounded up to 4 stars.

I had read My Heart is a Chainsaw (from here on abbreviated to MHiaC) and I really liked it. First time I rated it 5 stars, eventually brought it down to 4 after more thinking. But overall I thought it was wonderfully written.

So when I was approved for ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper” I was both surprised and also scared that I wouldn’t like it as much. And for the first half the book I was a bit hesitant because I wasn’t sure where it was going. The thing is: Don’t Fear the Reaper, while distinctly a Stephen Graham Jones book, is different from MHiaC. This is a slasher story from the start whereas the first book in the series is slow burn. The slow burn here comes at the halfway point and revolves around the entire cast of characters instead of just Jade, like in the first novel. And that is where the main difference lies.

This is a story that hinges on a full gang of people. And that changes the motives, the reasons, the lines of where morals are for some characters. Everything that happens in ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ is because of someone’s choices. Whether that’s just or not. And that works incredibly well.

I loved seeing how different Jade is now while maintaining her core personality. She has grown a lot in the four years she’s been away and not only has she done some reflecting, she’s also taken steps to change her behavior that she realized she didn’t like. That was super valuable and important, because she was an unlikable character in the first book, and while that fit the story then, she desperately needed to have some growth in order for us to be able to root for her again. I was surprised by her but never in a way that felt unbelievable. It was seeing Jade become who we as an audience knew she could be.

I’m glad that SGJ continued Jade’s relationship with Hardy in the sequel. They had such a good dynamic in MHiaC and I enjoyed it just as much here. Their relationship was by far one of the most endearing aspects of the book.

I loved the subtle reference to the Scream movies by having Galatea act as the information spreader like Randy. And the references to “supernatural” slashers such as Jason and Michael in the character build of Dark Mill South. This being used throughout heightened the tension and raised the stakes 


We also get some great call backs to Jade letters/essays to her teacher via the sections of the novel written be an “unknown” individual to the new history teacher at Proofrock. The amounts of hints, references and head nods felt balanced enough that they never felt to be “too much” and often worked as include information or rehash things we needed to know. 

I love this way of sharing additional information that our main characters wouldn’t have access to or necessarily feel the need to talk about. It’s a clever way of sharing exposition without being boring or too on the nose

The juxtaposition of having this set in the middle of a snow storm compared to MHiaC is great as well. It sets a claustrophobic tension from the start. It gives the book the opportunity to avoid the trap of falling into the same premise of the first book. We have a group of main players who already believe and know there is a killer on the loose and who it most likely is, that also plays into the immediate tension and suspense.

The twists here were also full filing and entertaining. I think it’s easy to go “oh well that’s too cliche” but it worked for me. 

I feel that if you enjoyed MHiaC you’ll love this addition to the series and if you didn’t care for the first novel, you may end up liking DFtR because of its differences in pacing, style and themes.

Spoiler The white elk symbolism and being a connection between Jade and Dark Mill South = chef kiss. Dark Mill believes seeing that elk is a sign of luck and of his divine fortune, meanwhile we were introduced to the idea in the very beginning that the Elk is tied to Jade; it is a symbol of her return. And in the end…the reveal of who the White Elk is and that they not only getting revenge but also protecting  Jade for someone else…..was just beautiful and impactful. I had to mentioned it as it was one of my favorite reveals of the book.
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