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bahamyulala's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit
marina_michelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, and Car accident
bubblescotch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Islamophobia
planetofblank's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
connorjdaley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listened to this on my way home to see my parents. Highland Mills, Central Valley, and Harriman we’re mentioned by name more than once, and all three are directly connected to my home town of 22 years, Monroe. West Point Military Academy, as well as 9W through Cornwall, Bear Mountain, and the novel’s featured hospital, St. Luke’s in Newburgh, are all places I’ve frequented as well. It was super cool and kind of eerie to read a novel like this about where I’m from.
The town of Black Spring has a problem, what kind of old town doesn’t? This town’s problem just happens to be a 17th century immortal witch named Katherine. Since they were able to sew her eyes and mouth shut she hasn’t been too much of a problem, just creepy. And luckily she never breaks from her current schedule…
So because I always listen to an audio and read a physical book at the same time, I had this really unique experience of reading these two very similar scenes in two drastically different novels within like an hour of each other. Both this novel and C.V. Hunt’s ‘Halloween Fiend’ feature a fall festival that isn’t really dedicated to their town’s (I’ll say) affliction, but at the same time kind of is. It was cool to see how each framed how their town responded to what they had been forced to accept as normal over time.
The climax of this novel does some really interesting things in its depiction of the degradation of humanity. Is it the witch causing it, or the town itself? Either way, they so easily are lead to depravity. Brothers, sisters, mothers, husbands…no one is safe and everyone is guilty.
Personally a 4/5*. Spooky, atmospheric, dark. It looks like there’s a sequel to this but it’s only available in Dutch? I’m confused.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
yatestx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape
entityj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Vomit, Islamophobia, and Alcohol
enderbug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Gore, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Islamophobia
theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Grief
missbreathing'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
4.0
HEX expertly blends paranormal horror with psychological horror, focusing as much on the witch as on the claustrophobia of being stuck in one place and the insidiousness of mob mentality. The idea of a haunted town is scary enough, but little by little the reader is introduced to more human sources of horror. The author conjures an inescapable sense of dread, and guides us unflinchingly towards the haunting climax.
This is a translation from Dutch, and, as a result, it’s easy to feel unmoored and confused. The story is also a bit dated in its use of technology (it was published in 2013). And, apparently, the original story is set in a small Dutch town rather than in upstate New York and has a completely different ending (good luck finding it online, though!). This made sense, since the upstate New York setting feels a bit incongruous with the story. However, the ending of this version is pretty great; it feels earned and unavoidable.
Honestly, this might be a new horror favorite! I’d recommend it to fans of the genre.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Islamophobia