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michelareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Penny, our 16 years old protagonist, works in a 80s themed mall with her best friend and her current crush. When she's asked to stay after closing and party in the store with her colleagues, she accepts just because she wants to fit in. But they are not alone in the mall, they hear a scream and find a teenager bleeding to death. Who is the killer? What's his motive? And why is he targeting the people who work in the mall?
Chopping Spree is a short and fast-paced (YA) horror novella, it's fun and it has a great retro vibe thanks to its music playlist. The plot is quite interesting and fun, I love when stories take place in a confined space, but in this case I feel like something was missing. There is a killer on the loose and I didn't feel the tension I hoped it would give me, and I believe it's because the characters of this novella are teenagers who really can't stay focused on the situation they're living! There's people dying in the mall and they flirt, drop jokes and discuss about consumerism... Uhm maybe try to save yourselves?
There are two plot twists that unfortunately I saw coming, but anyway I enjoyed reading this novella even though sometimes it doesn't feel realistic at all. Penny is a good character and I liked how she behaved in very stressful situations on the second half of the story - I can't say more as I would spoil the plot, but since Chopping Spree is not so long (around 70 pages), I would just invite you to read it! It's fast and fun just like its title!
3 stars.
* Thank you to Angela Sylvaine, Unnerving and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Chopping Spree is a short and fast-paced (YA) horror novella, it's fun and it has a great retro vibe thanks to its music playlist. The plot is quite interesting and fun, I love when stories take place in a confined space, but in this case I feel like something was missing. There is a killer on the loose and I didn't feel the tension I hoped it would give me, and I believe it's because the characters of this novella are teenagers who really can't stay focused on the situation they're living! There's people dying in the mall and they flirt, drop jokes and discuss about consumerism... Uhm maybe try to save yourselves?
There are two plot twists that unfortunately I saw coming, but anyway I enjoyed reading this novella even though sometimes it doesn't feel realistic at all. Penny is a good character and I liked how she behaved in very stressful situations on the second half of the story - I can't say more as I would spoil the plot, but since Chopping Spree is not so long (around 70 pages), I would just invite you to read it! It's fast and fun just like its title!
3 stars.
* Thank you to Angela Sylvaine, Unnerving and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Torture
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