Reviews with content warning for Murder - Pet Sematary

pet sematary is considered as a horror book. But if i had to give a rating for horror then it'll be 2/10 because it didn't scare me like a typical horror book about ghost, something paranormal, supernatural, etc would have. For me, this book was about grief and also supernatural element but these two things could be considered as horror actually now that i think about it. Its about a family struggling to come to terms with death. I had grief counseling as a subject last term so i learnt a lot about complicated grief, normal grief, how grief becomes depression. Factors that affect how w grieve bc grieving is a very personal and an individual process. Not two people grieve the same loss. And this book shows that really well. How one person is ready to talk about grief while the other just wants to hide such things under the carpet.
Why do we grieve? Because we lost someone, right? But if we had a chance, we'd never want to lose them forever. What if you got a chance to get them back? what i loved the most is the metaphor: the place has a pull to make you do things.... like how grief can drive people to do things they would never normally consider.

Content Warnings

mlovesbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

My first official Stephen King read did not disappoint.

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vinett's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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sarasreading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

This was my first King book! I don't think it'll be my last either. I was expecting it to be far more thrilling than it was. Not that there weren’t creepy or disturbing parts, but the book is more sad than scary. Honestly the scariest parts had nothing to do with the supernatural elements at all, and everything to do with the true-to-life medical events.

It deals heavily with grief and death, and the ways various characters react to and process the deaths of their loved ones. I have some trauma around sudden loss, so this book resonated with me in that way.

It’s a slow building book, with most of the horror action in the last 30-40 pages, but from the first inciting incident it sucked me right in and it was hard to put down. King really has a way with words and turns of phrases that I enjoyed, as well as repeating phrases and themes. I’m never going to hear that Ramones song the same way again, that’s for sure. Hey-ho, let’s freakin’ go! (Or don't. Probably better to stay put actually.)

Content Warnings