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britt0478's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
beckygomezmd's review against another edition
4.0
Thought provoking and a little scary, my only complaint is that it was just a little too long.
burbgur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
brannleymiller's review against another edition
4.0
Made the mistake of reading the review on this before reading the book, which tainted my view of it for about the first third. I had easily chalked this up as a 3 star read.
This was my first time using audio books to help me get through a longer book though, and I think the great voice acting improved my view of the story. This one was much more fun to listen to than to read, which ended up putting it at 4 stars for me.
Frank did a great job with building the town of Hyde River. I found myself intrigued by the town itself and its secrets. That by far was my favorite part. I didn’t care too much about the characters.
I think this book gets a lot of flak because it’s a Christian fiction book. Readers on both sides of the aisle have their reservations and I think judge it more harshly. Writing a book on sin can be like walking a tightrope, as people become more sensitive when addressing the subject. I must applaud Frank here though, as I think he addressed sin in a genuine way. People say this book is a glorification of ‘murdering sinners’ but I didn’t see that at all.
The main issue with the book, in my opinion, is the tone. In the first 3/4 he is very subtle about the Christian worldviews and undercurrents. In the latter portion, he drops all subtlety and changes the tone completely. I think it was an abrupt shift and did not align with the tone promises he made earlier on. I think he could have done more to setup the messaging in the end, which is probably why so many people had issues with it.
Overall, it was a fun experience with some thought provoking symbolism and messaging.
This was my first time using audio books to help me get through a longer book though, and I think the great voice acting improved my view of the story. This one was much more fun to listen to than to read, which ended up putting it at 4 stars for me.
Frank did a great job with building the town of Hyde River. I found myself intrigued by the town itself and its secrets. That by far was my favorite part. I didn’t care too much about the characters.
I think this book gets a lot of flak because it’s a Christian fiction book. Readers on both sides of the aisle have their reservations and I think judge it more harshly. Writing a book on sin can be like walking a tightrope, as people become more sensitive when addressing the subject. I must applaud Frank here though, as I think he addressed sin in a genuine way. People say this book is a glorification of ‘murdering sinners’ but I didn’t see that at all.
The main issue with the book, in my opinion, is the tone. In the first 3/4 he is very subtle about the Christian worldviews and undercurrents. In the latter portion, he drops all subtlety and changes the tone completely. I think it was an abrupt shift and did not align with the tone promises he made earlier on. I think he could have done more to setup the messaging in the end, which is probably why so many people had issues with it.
Overall, it was a fun experience with some thought provoking symbolism and messaging.
ih8rams's review against another edition
5.0
What a powerful analogy! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! Not a single lull in the story. Definitely opened my eyes to possibilities for Christian Horror/Thriller
ren8ions's review against another edition
3.0
Book was gripping and interesting and sketchy and weird, much like the evangelical culture that produced it
sarahcoller's review against another edition
4.0
I just finished rereading this for the third or fourth time and I really did enjoy it. I read it a couple times when I was in my teens and a brand new Christian and I don't think I truly understood the message very well. It's got a great message but, more than that, it's not super cheesy. I've tried to reread several 90s Christian books lately that I loved years ago but can't finish because of the overwhelming cheese factor. This one held my attention and didn't make me embarrassed to read it. I have a few more Perettis on my TBR...I'll dive right in!
mapmom_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
taliesinpendragon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Murder, Gore, Suicide, Death, Blood, and Physical abuse
nutmegandpumpkin's review
It was just moving at too much of a slow pace to keep me interested. On top of that, there were FOURTEEN character name drops in the first chapter. So anytime a character was mentioned I was like “who is tf is thi? Should I know them already or are they a new character??”