Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

42 reviews

readsandsuch's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense 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? No

2.75

A fun and quick slasher read. The characters weren’t really developed enough for me to truly care about anyone. Most of them blended together. The adults were borderline cartoonish. The build up, tension and kills were all good though, very cinematic.  The killer reveal was a bit disappointing. 

Actually it wasn’t just disappointing it was absurd.

I mean, a group of adults choosing to slaughter a bunch of teenagers who “terrorize” the town? How could they think they would possibly get away with it? And then trying to frame two kids for it that’s didn’t even use guns? Completely ridiculous. After I read the second town meeting scene I was really hoping the adults weren’t the killer, but alas.

I think the audiobook narration was l overacted and distracting. The accents and men’s voices also weren’t the best. I’ll be going with the print versions for the sequels. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Racism

theveronicareview's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Not much to say on this one. 

Clown in a Cornfield was a decent read overall, but I was bored, it wasn't suspenseful, and the social media/vlogger aspect was too cringe for me to enjoy. 

I like B-movie, campy horror flicks, and this book seems to WANT to mimic that, but it just didn't hit the mark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent

ilaxaria's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

Minor: Bullying, Racism, Suicide, and Medical content

brooketreads's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

1.0

I didn’t care for this book at all. I found the characters flat. The plot, well, the author gives it away immediately removing elements of surprise. It’s a horror, but I wasn’t scared at all, because we already knew what was going on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Murder

booksarefriends_notfood's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

This book was an enjoyable read and a good introduction to horror for people who don't have a lot of experience in the genre. It reads a lot like an 80s slasher film which I found to be more entertaining than I thought I would. It also has some elements that are a little far-fetched but just crazy enough to be viable for the plot. It was a fast-paced read, would definitely recommend for horror readers dipping their toe in or for someone feeling nostalgic for slasher movies. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

briarsreviews's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare has been a book I've been yearning for since I heard it came out. The title alone is intriguing - clowns are creepy and now they are in a cornfield? That's an absolute nightmare! Throw in this is a YA novel with LGBTQ+ representation all mixed in with an epic thrill ride of a plot that throws horrific clowns at us? I AM IN.

This book was a fast paced book that brought some giggles and lots of 'Oh' faces as the horror went down. Quinn Maybrook and her Father, Dr. Maybrook move to the itsy, bitsy town of Kettle Springs for a fresh start. The town has been rotting away since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down with the teens running wild and enjoying their youth and the adults blaming the teens for the horrible town. After a tragic death of a local teen, things just seem to get worse... until Frendo, the Baypen creepy clown mascot shows up and starts a killing spree.

Ohhhhh boy. If you want an R rated gore fest with creepy clowns, this book is for you. There's a serial killer going around in a small town knocking people off and there's clearly some dark stuff going down too. Oh, and teenagers. You know horror + teenagers is always a bad mix. 

I thoroughly enjoy how fast paced this book was and how it really packs a punch. The ending was hinted at along the way, but you'll only get it if you really pay attention. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I didn't guess the complete ending, but I did get about 75% of it right as I was theorizing what was going on. Definitely a must read for horror fans! What an easy but brutal read.

Five out of five stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

kstericker's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse

baileyraebooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

the twists kept coming and i loved every one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Suicide

lunarreader's review against another edition

4.5

Struggled to get started or really care until the action started even then I lost interest closer to the end. The only reason it gets such a high rating was because of how much it made me feel during the crazy parts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

If you like slashers and mean-spirited murder, this is the book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, and Classism

Be careful. This book is not for the faint of heart.