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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
KOTR - 4.25*
The Babysitter Lives - 4.25*
both fantastic, very different from each other. Road trip slasher versus creepy 'haunted' house, babysitter trope.
The Babysitter Lives - 4.25*
both fantastic, very different from each other. Road trip slasher versus creepy 'haunted' house, babysitter trope.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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:
No
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
I honestly did not get into these stories. The killer on the road with all the colloquialism was hard to read but the story was interesting. The second half. It was like a run-on-sentence.
dark
I don’t do audiobooks unless they’re exclusively audiobooks. And ‘The Babysitter Lives’ was exclusively an audiobook 2 years ago. I liked it then, but said I wish it had been a print book. Well now I got my wish. And thanks to my awful memory, I’m basically starting fresh!
But first, we start with ‘Killer on the Road’ about… a killer on the road. As always, SGJ has got the horror tropes down — runaway teens on a road trip, psycho truck driver, highway hitchhikers. And fucked-up violence. I think I missed something with the ending though… did we know who that person was? Or was it one of those deus ex machina things?
And then parts of ‘The Babysitter Lives’ did indeed come back to me as I was reading. It’s another SGJ stream-of-consciousness-style telling, but it’s a fun one.
But first, we start with ‘Killer on the Road’ about… a killer on the road. As always, SGJ has got the horror tropes down — runaway teens on a road trip, psycho truck driver, highway hitchhikers. And fucked-up violence. I think I missed something with the ending though… did we know who that person was? Or was it one of those deus ex machina things?
And then parts of ‘The Babysitter Lives’ did indeed come back to me as I was reading. It’s another SGJ stream-of-consciousness-style telling, but it’s a fun one.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL;DR: Surprisingly complicated with some more thrilling elements than scary ones.
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!
Plot: A double feature, this has a young girl hitchhiking and running into the wrong man and then a babysitter fighting a house for her freedom.
Characters: These two girls felt very similar, I’m not going to lie. The rest of the cast wasn’t very deep and I do wish we’d gotten a little variety in personality.
Setting: The highway and the house, both settings, were very strong and well drawn.
Horror: The horror in this was more thrilling and gore than scary, though one deeply uncomfortable scene got under my skin in Babysitter.
Characters: These two girls felt very similar, I’m not going to lie. The rest of the cast wasn’t very deep and I do wish we’d gotten a little variety in personality.
Setting: The highway and the house, both settings, were very strong and well drawn.
Horror: The horror in this was more thrilling and gore than scary, though one deeply uncomfortable scene got under my skin in Babysitter.
Thoughts:
I still truly consider myself a baby Horror Fan. I read a handful every year, and the number is growing. Stephen Graham Jones is one author I’ve found I do enjoy a lot as his characters have a lot of heart and he puts a lot of care in these spooky stories. Killer On The Road and The Babysitter Lives are two examples of what I’d call a popcorn movie version of his work.
Killer on the Road is the classic hitchhiker trope, but make it go sideways quick. The opening chapter sets you up with your big bad and then you meet Harper who quickly pulls her friends into a bloody, and gore-filled death drive. This held no punches, and I doubt I’ll be able to look at Big rigs and tow trucks the same ever again (this is awkward as a close relative drives a big rig, ha). Babysitter is less on the core and more on the dimensional trapped feeling. If you don’t like claustrophobic horror or the feeling of being trapped this one is going to really get to you. The two read like two excellent slasher movies, and the idea to package these together is genius. It feels like a back to back movie feature at a drive in.
My only complaint on this is that Harper and Charlotte, our two title girls, feel very similar. They have their own voices, yes, but there were times when I’d slip and forget I wasn’t with Harper on the road, that I was trapped with Charlotte in the house. That would jerk me out of the plot quick. That aside I think this is a great pickup for horror newbies and possibly even seasoned fans. It’s different (for a book format) and extremely fun while also feeling nostalgic. Maybe a great read for spooky season!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent