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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
dark
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Body horror, Gun violence, Murder, Death, Child death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Racism, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Classism, Torture, and Animal death
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Genocide, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Car accident, Excrement, Alcohol, Confinement, Sexual assault, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Suicide, Abandonment, and Ableism
missbreathing's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
I can’t believe I forgot to review this book.
I adore the Indian Lake trilogy, and this is a wonderful finale. It’s no surprise I loved it. I’ve got very little to say except: read it! And if you haven’t read the first two books, run don’t walk.
Jade Daniels, I will love you forever. This book really cements Jade as one of the best characters horror has seen in years.
I adore the Indian Lake trilogy, and this is a wonderful finale. It’s no surprise I loved it. I’ve got very little to say except: read it! And if you haven’t read the first two books, run don’t walk.
Jade Daniels, I will love you forever. This book really cements Jade as one of the best characters horror has seen in years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Vomit, and Drug abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
grimdark_dad's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Blood, Sexual assault, Grief, Violence, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
kimwritesstuff's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.5
The mark of a great horror novel is not that it makes you feel fear, but that it makes you care enough about the characters and world that your heart feels stomped on when they die. The third and final entry in the Indian Lake Trilogy made me anxious, made me chuckle, and also made me cry. Damn you Stephen Graham Jones.
After four years Jade is finally out of prison and back in Proofrock, this time as a history teacher. When a student gives an unsettling presentation showing several dead classmates and the missing Sherriff's Bronco from book 2 (Don't Fear the Reaper), Jade can feel the slasher start to put its claws into her. This time she doesn't want it. She doesn't want there to be a body count. She doesn't want to lose anyone else. She just wants to be the wise town elder. Let someone else fight for once; she has her best friend Letha and Letha's little girl Adie to protect. Of course, that's not what happens, especially after a dad's head gets ripped off while in the pick-up lane for school. Plus there's a forest fire and some new founders are trying to rebuild Terra Nova.
Jade is reluctantly dragged back into the slasher as she fights to find who is the bad guy this time. Of course, the new founders also promised thousands of dollars to Proofrock residents if they create a firebreak around Terra Nova by cutting trees down. What could go wrong with chainsaws and axes in a forest fire in a town where there are known supernatural disturbances? The answer is a lot.
This book hurt me to read, and I mean that in the best way possible. I knew the third entry meant loss and heartbreak, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Jade is much less eager in this novel, and watching her grow has been such a pleasure. Not only has she grown up, she's also created a family for herself. She has so much to lose this time around. The thing I love most about Jade is that she is so selfless. She is willing to walk away and leave if that's what Letha needs. What the town needs. She would end her life if that meant the massacres would stop.
This book is so much more raw and honest than the previous entries, and it's such a cathartic read. Sure, we lose some characters we love, but the comeuppance other characters get is so sweet. And we get some surprise guests who also make a return to Proofrock. The only thing that made this not a 5-star read for me is that I found myself having to reread passages a few times because the train of thought was a little jumbled. I couldn't understand what was happening so I would page back, reread, and then move forward.
Overall, this was an enjoyable bloodbath.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse
danaslitlist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
First I want to say a HUGE thank you to the publisher for reaching out to me and offering an E-ARC of The Angel of Indian Lake, I truly appreciate the gift of getting to read one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 early!
I wasn't sure how well this book would do in wrapping up the series and tying all the pieces together. Many a fan of books has experienced the pain of the final installment not living up to what was promised. However, I was beyond pleased and satisfied with this book....even if the bears were a surprise. This has to be the most off the rails book in the trilogy and I honestly believe that it took Stephen Graham Jones' talents to pull it off. In someone else hands, I don't see it falling into place correctly as it did in Mr. Jones.
The core of this story is facing demons and the successes and failures of ones past. And the way that everything is brought back to the beginning, the way the parallels are set up was beyond satisfying.
The Angel of Indian Lake kicks off with one of the most intriguing opening lines I've experienced and doesn't slow down from there at all. Reuniting with Jade, and by extension Stephen Graham Jones, is like being reunited with your best friend who is equally obsessed with slasher films as you are. The entire first chapter is a solid reintroduction to Proofrock and the absolute horrors that living there entails. I didn't think it was possible to really be able to love Jade more than I did from book one but there is something beautiful and transformative about Jade in this final installment.
Seeing how much Jade has changed and how much she hasn't is so reminiscent of Sidney Prescott. Jade has changed for the better. She isn't who she was in book one or book two. And yet, her core, her heart is forever Jade Daniels: slasher girl.
To see her trying so hard to NOT be the girl who cried slasher, to see her change who she is in order to survive, all the while her being completely oblivious to the fact that those choices and those changes ARE how a final girl behaves. That's how a final girl survives.
Jade has always been the final girl in defiance of the trope: not just because she defies the stereotypes (she's not the virgin, she's not the good girl, she's not the white girl) but because the way she survives is by defiance. We have to look at this trilogy how we would look at a slasher movie franchise. The events of the first two acts (books one and two) have now shaped our hero into the final girl. She has emerged.
Just like the rest of the series, The Angel of Indian Lake is a love letter to horror movies. This book is meant for the movie buffs who find themselves inexplicably drawn to slashers, drawn to their stories, and those who feel an understanding for the Jasons and the Carries, just as Jade does.
I truly believe that Jade Daniels will stick with me for the rest of my life and I will be returning to her over and over again.
I wasn't sure how well this book would do in wrapping up the series and tying all the pieces together. Many a fan of books has experienced the pain of the final installment not living up to what was promised. However, I was beyond pleased and satisfied with this book....even if the bears were a surprise. This has to be the most off the rails book in the trilogy and I honestly believe that it took Stephen Graham Jones' talents to pull it off. In someone else hands, I don't see it falling into place correctly as it did in Mr. Jones.
The core of this story is facing demons and the successes and failures of ones past. And the way that everything is brought back to the beginning, the way the parallels are set up was beyond satisfying.
The Angel of Indian Lake kicks off with one of the most intriguing opening lines I've experienced and doesn't slow down from there at all. Reuniting with Jade, and by extension Stephen Graham Jones, is like being reunited with your best friend who is equally obsessed with slasher films as you are. The entire first chapter is a solid reintroduction to Proofrock and the absolute horrors that living there entails. I didn't think it was possible to really be able to love Jade more than I did from book one but there is something beautiful and transformative about Jade in this final installment.
Seeing how much Jade has changed and how much she hasn't is so reminiscent of Sidney Prescott. Jade has changed for the better. She isn't who she was in book one or book two. And yet, her core, her heart is forever Jade Daniels: slasher girl.
To see her trying so hard to NOT be the girl who cried slasher, to see her change who she is in order to survive, all the while her being completely oblivious to the fact that those choices and those changes ARE how a final girl behaves. That's how a final girl survives.
Jade has always been the final girl in defiance of the trope: not just because she defies the stereotypes (she's not the virgin, she's not the good girl, she's not the white girl) but because the way she survives is by defiance. We have to look at this trilogy how we would look at a slasher movie franchise. The events of the first two acts (books one and two) have now shaped our hero into the final girl. She has emerged.
Just like the rest of the series, The Angel of Indian Lake is a love letter to horror movies. This book is meant for the movie buffs who find themselves inexplicably drawn to slashers, drawn to their stories, and those who feel an understanding for the Jasons and the Carries, just as Jade does.
I truly believe that Jade Daniels will stick with me for the rest of my life and I will be returning to her over and over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Medical trauma, Grief, Emotional abuse, Blood, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death
jayla_hh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Got confused in the middle there but I got back. Great end to the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Murder and Kidnapping
edoherty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
I love that I was able to access an advance copy of this book, because waiting for it has been painful. On the other hand, I now have no one to scream with about it because it’s not coming out for three more months.
It’s worth screaming about. It’s even more painful to read than the first book in the trilogy, which is saying something, and it’s brutal in many many MANY ways, but it’s unexpectedly beautiful even in its pain. It's not quite a perfect book - I have some questions about a few scenes and there were points when I was having trouble following the action - but I don’t particularly care.
I love these characters more than I thought I could. Jade is the most Final of Girls, and I love that Letha can see that even when Jade can’t. My heart breaks for them and much as I want to spend more time with them, I also hope that the presumed lack of any more stories about them means that they will finally have the time and space to heal that they so desperately need.
I loved this book.
It’s worth screaming about. It’s even more painful to read than the first book in the trilogy, which is saying something, and it’s brutal in many many MANY ways, but it’s unexpectedly beautiful even in its pain. It's not quite a perfect book - I have some questions about a few scenes and there were points when I was having trouble following the action - but I don’t particularly care.
I love these characters more than I thought I could. Jade is the most Final of Girls, and I love that Letha can see that even when Jade can’t. My heart breaks for them and much as I want to spend more time with them, I also hope that the presumed lack of any more stories about them means that they will finally have the time and space to heal that they so desperately need.
I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Gore, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, and Abandonment
Minor: Classism, Self harm, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Kidnapping, and Pedophilia
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