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aposthuma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Car accident, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use
judassilver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Specific spoilers for those curious:
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Self harm, Sexism, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Racism, Vomit, Cancer, Car accident, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Stalking, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia
boats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Car accident
sxndaze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
It was early October, but in the strong, direct light of the morning sun, it was still warm. Fall was here, winter coming right behind it, but for now there was still a little good riding weather left.
a festive horror read! it dragged for me at parts tbh. i liked reading about vic discovering her abilities with the shorter way and those affects.
hill writes complex relationships well when he has the time and space to flesh them out. i didn’t like her interactions with lou very much because there wasn’t much to like, but after wayne gets taken, their relationship feels so much more solid.
some hits and quite a few misses in here for me, but overall a good time (especially the last third)
Graphic: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexism
pclairx's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Fatphobia
ptoridactyl30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Blood, Sexism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Blood, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abandonment
hayleys_comment'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
4.25
Technical-goodness aside, I have a some mixed feelings about Hill’s work. The book’s a bit like Dracula, in that every once and a while, there will be a scene that really grabs you, or a line that makes your pulse pound. Everything in-between is just background noise. Of the (roughly) 700 pages, only a handful are memorable.
If you’re not sure whether this book is for you, here are a few things to consider:
1. The novel relies heavily on themes of sexism, sexual assault, and child abuse. There are a few scenes that feature existential/body horror, but they’re less prevalent.
2. Hill is fantastic at scene descriptions. When he’s describing something cool, it’s awesome. Really, really awesome. When he’s describing something gross, it’s visceral. And this novel gets gross. Really, really gross. Nothing too crazy for a horror novel, but it’s definitely worth mentioning, especially with point #1.
3. Ask yourself this: could you ever think of Christmas as something strange, or scary? If the answer is no, you’ll have a hard time suspending your disbelief. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try, but it may have an effect on how you engage with Hill’s story. Christmasland is a big deal.
4. If you’re hesitant, check the content warnings. Seriously. There’s no shame in saying, “this isn’t for me,” or, “not right now.” You can always come back later.
Bonus:
The audio book, narrated by Kate Mulgrew, is absolutely bonkers. 10/10. If you’re an audio person, you’re in for a treat.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gun violence
carliethompsonwriting's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexism, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape
emilyspex'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? Yes
3.5
There were long stretches where I enjoyed this book, but I would really struggle to recommend it to anyone.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Self harm, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Rape, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Body shaming
Minor: Antisemitism, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Self harm