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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
5/5 Stars
My rating is definitely influenced by getting the chance to talk with the author. That experience added an extra layer of appreciation. Discussing the books with my horror book club also helped me better understand where my opinions aligned or differed from others, which made the reading experience even more engaging.
The Babysitter Lives and Killer on the Road occasionally felt a bit like word vomit. It was as if the author struggled to articulate certain scenes clearly. At times, it was hard to follow what was happening. That said, I interpreted this as an intentional reflection of the teenage protagonists' perspectives: chaotic, scattered, and often emotionally exaggerated. In that context, the style worked.
I really enjoyed the plot of both books. I just wish the lore around Bucketmouth had been developed a bit more. There was definitely potential for deeper exploration.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed these novels and can't wait to read more from Stephen Graham Jones!
My rating is definitely influenced by getting the chance to talk with the author. That experience added an extra layer of appreciation. Discussing the books with my horror book club also helped me better understand where my opinions aligned or differed from others, which made the reading experience even more engaging.
The Babysitter Lives and Killer on the Road occasionally felt a bit like word vomit. It was as if the author struggled to articulate certain scenes clearly. At times, it was hard to follow what was happening. That said, I interpreted this as an intentional reflection of the teenage protagonists' perspectives: chaotic, scattered, and often emotionally exaggerated. In that context, the style worked.
I really enjoyed the plot of both books. I just wish the lore around Bucketmouth had been developed a bit more. There was definitely potential for deeper exploration.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed these novels and can't wait to read more from Stephen Graham Jones!
Well thank goodness I loved ONE of the two stories!
I started with Killer on the Road, and loved it, as will most likely be the case for most final girl-focused horror stories by this author. I really thought The Babysitter Lives was going to fall under that same ending, but, and maybe that title should have read more as a clue than a reassurance, it doesn't feel so much like a final girl story because it's not clear at the end if Charlotte survives the neverending nightmare she's caught up in.
Back to Killer on the Road:
I love that though we start with a straight-up yucky scene with a serial killer making a name for himself, we spend most of our time with Harper and her dwindling group, and it's left to the reader to try and figure out on this wild night who actually had the higher body count. Certainly, long term and removing accidents that went worse, Bucketmouth is the serial killer, but it was jaw-dropping to witness the chain of events Harper &co got caught up in. Harper started the book trying to escape in one way and finds herself running from several something elses soon after.
I appreciate Harper's struggle, with younger sister in tow, to try and find the right action even as attempted evasion of responsibility morphs into the commission of criminal acts. Add to that the recurring recognition of her Indigenous status as likely to garner less aid, belief, or sympathy from law enforcement, how that plays out in a horror setting, amping the stakes. The shattered, grotesque road trip the perfect background to both a seemingly endless pursuit and to her and Dillon's casting memories back to absent trucker fathers, what they loved about them and their trucks, how they retain knowledge of that trade, those vehicles, wishing them home.
Bucketmouth with his cannibalism-based shape shifting and its particular rules is formidable and disgusting and relentless but not insurmountable, exactly what is needed to drive the pacing, to allow for just a bit of repartee, and a feeling of matched foes in amidst the gut-wrenching gore and horror.
The emotional impact of the ending, the meet up but not detailed explanation or reconciliation with the mom, being Harper's last moments with her, the closure with her 'father', finding out who actually survived the night, without a clue where they'll go next, it's just the right stopping point.
Now, The Babysitter Lives...
It seems odd to say after reading the first story, but I think it was just too ever-expandingly horrific for me to want to stay involved. Towards the end I could feel myself getting less invested, a little exhausted, even if the author's creativity wasn't. This one gets pretty surreal. And there's some quality, tragic reveals.
It's inventive, but even if Harper's crew is getting devastated, she spends so little relative time alone, while Charlotte in her story spends most of that time either locked in a shadow world or trying to look after two young kids without anyone to turn to, which no doubt adds to the feeling of loneliness, on top of which, the replacement of the lover's face, while threatened in Killer on the Road, actually happens (in a believable figment way) in The Babysitter Lives. A lot of despair, a lot of body horror, a lot of scurrying around without progress. As much as I can skim a gory scene in a horror novel, it's really not possible to 'skip the stressful part' when it's basically the whole plot.
And yeah, I think the author mentions in acknowledgements the thin sliver of hope, but it's really, really thin, and in no way resolved, by the end of the story.
This story also had some icky stuff that rides the line of sexual assault (guy records video of touching himself which gay teen girl finds, and connects that he touched the same teen babysitter in greeting right after, possible bodily fluids involved; evil ghost taking over gay teen girl has sex in one reality with same guy - using her body without consent - though it's unclear if she'll ever get back in itš¤¢).
I appreciate that the Indigenous identity of the young female protagonist is not just mentioned but a strong point in both stories, not just Harper's concern in Killer on the Road, shared by her friends, that any consequences will be harsher, any help less likely due to this, but also that Bucketmouth's lore/weakness features it as well.
Charlotte is put in an uncomfortable but no doubt relatable position of navigating an offensive, appropriative Halloween costume while interacting with a young, white child who is parroting everything their parents, who have an economic influence over how Charlotte might respond, have said or implied. And Tia is very obvious in her opening salvo of mocking Charlotte while taking over her body in the real world that she is aware of the appropriation as it echoes back to the costume.
For all that the supernatural plays heavy in these stories, the real world intrudes with its own ugliness.
Indigenous single mothers also feature in both stories, and while they are strong and reliable role models in both, neither seems to have a happy ending in store. š
Perhaps that has more to do with the imminent maturation of the teenage girls in question. Both are about-to-head-off-to-college/move-out age, could it be so psychologically, brutally simplistic as cutting the last tie to home from a narrative perspective? š¤·š¼āāļø It's almost nicer to think it was for the further development of the main character's independence than just to add to the body count and associated trauma, though those come as a package deal. š«£
ā ļøcannibalism, gore, body horror, racism, SA
I started with Killer on the Road, and loved it, as will most likely be the case for most final girl-focused horror stories by this author. I really thought The Babysitter Lives was going to fall under that same ending, but, and maybe that title should have read more as a clue than a reassurance, it doesn't feel so much like a final girl story because it's not clear at the end if Charlotte survives the neverending nightmare she's caught up in.
Back to Killer on the Road:
I love that though we start with a straight-up yucky scene with a serial killer making a name for himself, we spend most of our time with Harper and her dwindling group, and it's left to the reader to try and figure out on this wild night who actually had the higher body count. Certainly, long term and removing accidents that went worse, Bucketmouth is the serial killer, but it was jaw-dropping to witness the chain of events Harper &co got caught up in. Harper started the book trying to escape in one way and finds herself running from several something elses soon after.
I appreciate Harper's struggle, with younger sister in tow, to try and find the right action even as attempted evasion of responsibility morphs into the commission of criminal acts. Add to that the recurring recognition of her Indigenous status as likely to garner less aid, belief, or sympathy from law enforcement, how that plays out in a horror setting, amping the stakes. The shattered, grotesque road trip the perfect background to both a seemingly endless pursuit and to her and Dillon's casting memories back to absent trucker fathers, what they loved about them and their trucks, how they retain knowledge of that trade, those vehicles, wishing them home.
Bucketmouth with his cannibalism-based shape shifting and its particular rules is formidable and disgusting and relentless but not insurmountable, exactly what is needed to drive the pacing, to allow for just a bit of repartee, and a feeling of matched foes in amidst the gut-wrenching gore and horror.
The emotional impact of the ending, the meet up but not detailed explanation or reconciliation with the mom, being Harper's last moments with her, the closure with her 'father', finding out who actually survived the night, without a clue where they'll go next, it's just the right stopping point.
Now, The Babysitter Lives...
It seems odd to say after reading the first story, but I think it was just too ever-expandingly horrific for me to want to stay involved. Towards the end I could feel myself getting less invested, a little exhausted, even if the author's creativity wasn't. This one gets pretty surreal. And there's some quality, tragic reveals.
It's inventive, but even if Harper's crew is getting devastated, she spends so little relative time alone, while Charlotte in her story spends most of that time either locked in a shadow world or trying to look after two young kids without anyone to turn to, which no doubt adds to the feeling of loneliness, on top of which, the replacement of the lover's face, while threatened in Killer on the Road, actually happens (in a believable figment way) in The Babysitter Lives. A lot of despair, a lot of body horror, a lot of scurrying around without progress. As much as I can skim a gory scene in a horror novel, it's really not possible to 'skip the stressful part' when it's basically the whole plot.
And yeah, I think the author mentions in acknowledgements the thin sliver of hope, but it's really, really thin, and in no way resolved, by the end of the story.
This story also had some icky stuff that rides the line of sexual assault (guy records video of touching himself which gay teen girl finds, and connects that he touched the same teen babysitter in greeting right after, possible bodily fluids involved; evil ghost taking over gay teen girl has sex in one reality with same guy - using her body without consent - though it's unclear if she'll ever get back in itš¤¢).
I appreciate that the Indigenous identity of the young female protagonist is not just mentioned but a strong point in both stories, not just Harper's concern in Killer on the Road, shared by her friends, that any consequences will be harsher, any help less likely due to this, but also that Bucketmouth's lore/weakness features it as well.
Charlotte is put in an uncomfortable but no doubt relatable position of navigating an offensive, appropriative Halloween costume while interacting with a young, white child who is parroting everything their parents, who have an economic influence over how Charlotte might respond, have said or implied. And Tia is very obvious in her opening salvo of mocking Charlotte while taking over her body in the real world that she is aware of the appropriation as it echoes back to the costume.
For all that the supernatural plays heavy in these stories, the real world intrudes with its own ugliness.
Indigenous single mothers also feature in both stories, and while they are strong and reliable role models in both, neither seems to have a happy ending in store. š
Perhaps that has more to do with the imminent maturation of the teenage girls in question. Both are about-to-head-off-to-college/move-out age, could it be so psychologically, brutally simplistic as cutting the last tie to home from a narrative perspective? š¤·š¼āāļø It's almost nicer to think it was for the further development of the main character's independence than just to add to the body count and associated trauma, though those come as a package deal. š«£
ā ļøcannibalism, gore, body horror, racism, SA
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
Two short horror novels in one book:
āKiller on the Roadā - Harper has decided sheās had enough of Wyoming and her motherās rules, and so decides to run away by hitchhiking. Sheās soon joined by her best friends, an ex-boyfriend, and her little sister who are all trying to talk her out of it. But then the night turns deadly, and she must find a way to survive a serial killer who hunts hitchhikers.
āThe Babysitter Livesā - Charlotte is an experienced babysitter, and sheās counting on tonightās gig being easy even though itās her first time at this house. But the twins start to tell her about their secret game and the Grey Mommy who shows them how to the funny places in-between. When Charlotte realizes that sheās stuck in one of the funny places, she must find a way out, before the Grey Mommy escapes instead.
Both are great short horror novels. āKiller on the Roadā is very graphic, gory, and ultra-violent escape from a supernatural serial killer. āThe Babysitter Livesā is an interesting and gory take on the haunted house. They are both the right length for their story (more than a novella, but not overburdened into full novel).
Content warning: child death, suicide, self harm.
āKiller on the Roadā - Harper has decided sheās had enough of Wyoming and her motherās rules, and so decides to run away by hitchhiking. Sheās soon joined by her best friends, an ex-boyfriend, and her little sister who are all trying to talk her out of it. But then the night turns deadly, and she must find a way to survive a serial killer who hunts hitchhikers.
āThe Babysitter Livesā - Charlotte is an experienced babysitter, and sheās counting on tonightās gig being easy even though itās her first time at this house. But the twins start to tell her about their secret game and the Grey Mommy who shows them how to the funny places in-between. When Charlotte realizes that sheās stuck in one of the funny places, she must find a way out, before the Grey Mommy escapes instead.
Both are great short horror novels. āKiller on the Roadā is very graphic, gory, and ultra-violent escape from a supernatural serial killer. āThe Babysitter Livesā is an interesting and gory take on the haunted house. They are both the right length for their story (more than a novella, but not overburdened into full novel).
Content warning: child death, suicide, self harm.
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:
Yes
5-star for killer on the road
3.5 for babysitter lives
3.5 for babysitter lives
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated