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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think it was a good book but I found it to be a bit like every other horror story so it was pretty predictable, not particularly unique. The writing was fine but I feel as someone who has read a lot of horror books, this didn't do much for me.
I do, however, think this would be good for teenagers or anyone looking to get into horror books. Although there is, of course, violence and also descriptions of verbal and physical abuse to one of the characters so just to be aware of that if your child reads this.
I do, however, think this would be good for teenagers or anyone looking to get into horror books. Although there is, of course, violence and also descriptions of verbal and physical abuse to one of the characters so just to be aware of that if your child reads this.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoy stories about cursed towns so I thought the premise was great. I loved how dark this story was. I also enjoyed that we followed some kids who just kind of stumble upon this big secret the town has. I would have liked to maybe see more deaths on page. I felt like a lot of scary parts were mentioned but didn't actually happen on page. This would make a fun movie though for sure.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story doesn't really offer anything new or inventive, but it is a mostly fun retreading of some well worn horror tropes.
It sets itself up as a coming of age/teens vs evil story in the vein of IT or Stranger Things. But there isn't really enough character development to make it as satisfying as those stories. We get enough details to convey that this is The Losers Club, the AV geeks who are drawn together more by their lack of other options than real affection for each other. Howie is the abused one, Ryan is the fat one, Todd is the funny one, Cory is the serious one. You could basically copy/paste them with the characters from IT or The Body. They all felt fairly one-dimensional and I didn't get very attached to them. I actually had a hard time even remembering all their names as I wrote this, even though I just finished the book. They go through their character growth arc by facing off with the evil they unleashed, and also with their bully (which feels kind of silly since it happens in the middle of the action, like there's nothing more important going on), but it doesn't pay off with the kind of closer emotional bonds you would expect.
There are a handful of other characters, but they're mostly just background. Mr B is the only one I liked/cared about, but he exits the story pretty early. The story mostly sticks to the POV of the 4 protagonist, but we get occasional short passages from other characters -- but every single one of these characters is quickly killed, so it feels pointless. I guess the author needed a way to show the deaths that the protagonists aren't present to witness, but it just felt like unnecessary thoughts and backstory for characters who serve no purpose other than immediately dying in gruesome ways. Why are we supposed to care about the tragic backstory of the town drunk, or the guy who runs the video store? It didn't add anything important to the story and felt like filler.
The plot feels like an Evil Dead sendup with an additional coven twist -- the teens are out in the forbidden woods and come across some stones with weird symbols. Of course they mess with it and end up unleashing the undead evil. The addition of the 20-years-ago serial killings and the town's cover up is a nice addition and probably the most inventive part of the story.
The pacing of the plot feels uneven -- there's a lot of build up only to suddenly be dropped in the middle of the climax, which somehow feels like it drags on too long. Cory and Howie are at Mr B's house investigating when suddenly the entire high school is under attack. It just felt like 'oh, ok, I guess we're jumping in with both feet.' That goes on so long that I started losing track of all the different characters he's introduced (most of whom immediately die anyway).
And when it ends it just kind of...ends. There's no moment of triumph, it's just over, and they just go home to their lives. Howie's dad is still going to be a piece of shit, they're still going to be outcast losers (though I guess with a girlfriend now?) It just felt emotionally empty. It didn't even seem to matter much that certain characters don't make it through the story. It cuts off before the town has to reckon with its secrets and the all the deaths, especially of a bunch of teenagers. It was a very jarring ending (there's an "epilogue" that is just an immediate continuation of the final scene and lasts for a minute, I was really hoping it was going to give us a short time jump to explain the aftermath, but alas).
I know this is a lot of criticism and it probably seems like I hated this book. But I didn't, not really. I'm more...mostly indifferent, in a not entirely negative way. While it's not really anything new it is a quick, mostly enjoyable spooky read. It's set in the days right before Halloween and gives you those chilly New England fall vibes. And while the characters felt shallow I also related to them as a fellow teen horror freak/AV nerd. I still rooted for them as the underdogs. It just felt like watching a movie I'd seen before, which isn't always a bad thing. It was familiar and predictable in a mostly pleasant way.
I listened to the audiobook, which I got as an Audible daily deal for a few dollars. Honestly that is all I would pay for this, as I don't think it's something I'll listen to again. The narrator is mostly pretty good, but he mispronounces a few common words in weird ways, and there are a few times where I'm pretty sure the narrator read the wrong word and didn't notice (ex he says a character "bandaged his hand against a rock" instead of banged). Just little things that should have been caught on review. He also uses pretty much the same voice for all characters, which maybe contributed to how generic they felt .
Should you read/listen to this book? I would say if it's free on Kindle Unlimited or Audible Plus it's not a bad way to kill some time if you're looking for something to get you in a Halloween mood. But I wouldn't spend more than a few dollars on it.
It sets itself up as a coming of age/teens vs evil story in the vein of IT or Stranger Things. But there isn't really enough character development to make it as satisfying as those stories. We get enough details to convey that this is The Losers Club, the AV geeks who are drawn together more by their lack of other options than real affection for each other. Howie is the abused one, Ryan is the fat one, Todd is the funny one, Cory is the serious one. You could basically copy/paste them with the characters from IT or The Body. They all felt fairly one-dimensional and I didn't get very attached to them. I actually had a hard time even remembering all their names as I wrote this, even though I just finished the book. They go through their character growth arc by facing off with the evil they unleashed, and also with their bully (which feels kind of silly since it happens in the middle of the action, like there's nothing more important going on), but it doesn't pay off with the kind of closer emotional bonds you would expect.
There are a handful of other characters, but they're mostly just background. Mr B is the only one I liked/cared about, but he exits the story pretty early. The story mostly sticks to the POV of the 4 protagonist, but we get occasional short passages from other characters -- but every single one of these characters is quickly killed, so it feels pointless. I guess the author needed a way to show the deaths that the protagonists aren't present to witness, but it just felt like unnecessary thoughts and backstory for characters who serve no purpose other than immediately dying in gruesome ways. Why are we supposed to care about the tragic backstory of the town drunk, or the guy who runs the video store? It didn't add anything important to the story and felt like filler.
The plot feels like an Evil Dead sendup with an additional coven twist -- the teens are out in the forbidden woods and come across some stones with weird symbols. Of course they mess with it and end up unleashing the undead evil. The addition of the 20-years-ago serial killings and the town's cover up is a nice addition and probably the most inventive part of the story.
The pacing of the plot feels uneven -- there's a lot of build up only to suddenly be dropped in the middle of the climax, which somehow feels like it drags on too long. Cory and Howie are at Mr B's house investigating when suddenly the entire high school is under attack. It just felt like 'oh, ok, I guess we're jumping in with both feet.' That goes on so long that I started losing track of all the different characters he's introduced (most of whom immediately die anyway).
And when it ends it just kind of...ends. There's no moment of triumph, it's just over, and they just go home to their lives. Howie's dad is still going to be a piece of shit, they're still going to be outcast losers (though I guess with a girlfriend now?) It just felt emotionally empty. It didn't even seem to matter much that certain characters don't make it through the story. It cuts off before the town has to reckon with its secrets and the all the deaths, especially of a bunch of teenagers. It was a very jarring ending (there's an "epilogue" that is just an immediate continuation of the final scene and lasts for a minute, I was really hoping it was going to give us a short time jump to explain the aftermath, but alas).
I know this is a lot of criticism and it probably seems like I hated this book. But I didn't, not really. I'm more...mostly indifferent, in a not entirely negative way. While it's not really anything new it is a quick, mostly enjoyable spooky read. It's set in the days right before Halloween and gives you those chilly New England fall vibes. And while the characters felt shallow I also related to them as a fellow teen horror freak/AV nerd. I still rooted for them as the underdogs. It just felt like watching a movie I'd seen before, which isn't always a bad thing. It was familiar and predictable in a mostly pleasant way.
I listened to the audiobook, which I got as an Audible daily deal for a few dollars. Honestly that is all I would pay for this, as I don't think it's something I'll listen to again. The narrator is mostly pretty good, but he mispronounces a few common words in weird ways, and there are a few times where I'm pretty sure the narrator read the wrong word and didn't notice (ex he says a character "bandaged his hand against a rock" instead of banged). Just little things that should have been caught on review. He also uses pretty much the same voice for all characters, which maybe contributed to how generic they felt .
Should you read/listen to this book? I would say if it's free on Kindle Unlimited or Audible Plus it's not a bad way to kill some time if you're looking for something to get you in a Halloween mood. But I wouldn't spend more than a few dollars on it.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book... my favorite author hands down is Stephen King and has been since I was a kid, never had someone compare. This book... I am blown away. I love this book. Kept me so engaged and just when I thought I figured it out, I was far from it everytime. I will definitely be watching this author for upcoming work and recommending to everyone!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced