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elishasbookreview's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gore
abookishwasp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent and Vomit
loony_lucy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Gore, Murder, and Self harm
tallangryplanet's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story follows Tess, a high school student who works in the school library during the summer, and Eliot, the son of the headmaster, as they accidentally release a demon and scramble to prevent it from completely ruining their lives. They come from very different backgrounds and in the beginning it seems like they'll never get along, but as they're forced to work together they find they're more similar than they thought.
As someone who isn't very familiar with the horror genre, I didn't expect most of the twists in the story, but they still felt coherent and most of them made sense in retrospective. Waiting for the next one was never boring and it kept me almost constantly on edge. I was also completely rooting for the main characters and hoping for them to finally catch a break, although I did feel slightly disappointed when I found out one of the main motivations for the protagonist.
I did notice that some parts of the setting and characterization didn't really fit with the ya category, but it made more sense after finding it was originally meant to be an adult book. This is really the only aspect I didn't like, as the characters felt too old to be in high school, because in everything else they were easy enough to relate to (as a musician, Tess's obsession with having to practice was like having a mirror held up to my face).
All in all, it was a very enjoyable read, and I might even pick it up again in the future. Even if you're not a big horror fan, it's light enough that it won't be too scary but still tense enough to avoid being boring.
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
blood, human sacrifice, possession leading to degradation of mental statekelliejean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
cameronreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Grief and Vomit
Minor: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
readingbetweenthenotes's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cancer, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
moonspire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death