Scan barcode
madarauchiha's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
The pacing is horrible. The author doesn't know when the edit shit out, and where to move the plot forward. Boring. Repetitive. Fake out climax way too many times. Misogynist flat female character. Incredibly racist towards indigenous characters. Classist about 'lower class' blue collar workers. The mystery of the monster concluded poorly. Conclusion of the most afflicted / possessed / haunted character's arc was embarrassing and frustratingly flippant. The prose is juvenile and middle grade levels. The tension, horror, creepiness was nonexistent. This should have stayed on reddit, bro.
This is how blue collar characters are depicted btw. They talk low class and schtupid??? Really?
This is one of the three named indigenous character. He's the Magic Shaman, and he gets brutally murdered off screen.
▪ To my relief, it was Nathan. I immediately babbled a salutation and a few questions, which he ignored. His voice came through grave and low, and he said, “Felix, let me speak to the one who followed you home.” I looked to Faye, who sat on the floor next to me in a pair of yoga pants, pulling books out of a box. “Uhh…It’s for you, I think.” Faye put the phone to her ear and said “Hello?” and then listened quietly for about a minute. I could hear Nathan speaking, but could not make out anything he said. Suddenly, a volcano of black puke exploded from Faye’s mouth. It sprayed across the carpet in a cone before her, and sent me nearly jumping out of my skin. She doubled over onto the floor like a ragdoll, coughing and sputtering. I leaped to my feet, panicking and asking if she was alright. I picked up the phone and screamed at Nathan, demanding to know what he had said to her.
“I know how to purge a drain clog,” he said, chuckling.
After spending like 30 +chapters and a whole lot of time with the mc trying to figure out what the ghost monster is and how to defeat it, this is what stops the ghost monster. What a cheap culmination of nearly 2 hours and 30 chapters.
So after reading her like a useless mentally ill moron this all the character development being possessed or whatever Like listen, when she was possessed / stalked by the ghost monster, she was very adamant and annoyed at the MC for trying to boss her around, get her medical attention, investigate the ghost monster, etc. And now this happens, after all that. It feels like a regression in her character.
It was illegal for native americans to use sage in their religious practice until 1978. Do you really think an actual indigenous person would be this flippant about. Sigh. Why am i even typing this out. The author doesnt give a fuck.
I don't think indigenous people of North America would describe their own genocide and colonization so vaguely but ok. What do I know? Only that I'd call what the Spanish did to us in the Philippines as genocidal atrocities and rape and colonization.
They made a brief big deal about not naming the monsters and then just.... Say the name. ok. What's consistency? Who the fuck knows!
Ah so there is the source of the author's research. That racist 'Crazy Talk the indian man' joke from the simpsons.
Deep tired sigh, gritted teeth. If you enjoyed this book I both hate you and am embarassed for you. What's in your brain cavity? Dust bunnies? Rotting celery?
This is specifically about the Native monster man creature that's haunting these white people btw. And this is how the author through the mc is describing indigenous people.
One of the many irritating ways the one main woman character is depicted. She's useless, guileless, used to bring up racy sex stuff, she has zero personality outside of the male mc character. If there wasnt sparse descriptions of curly hair and WASPness, I'd call her a sexy lamp.
So the mc has gone through almost a month of hauntings, explicit hauntings involving his fiance, and hes still playing dumb. especially when he called in the magical native character to resolve the haunting. The author knows a lot of tropes and not a damn clue how to execute any of them, much less in an interesting manner.
What language is this. How did the author include this but not the name of the Nation much less reservation that the the indigenous characters are from?
So the indigenous woman just what? abandoned her entire culture? That's not unheard if and of course irl people can do whatever they want. but the author had proven themselves to be racist and this is a fictional character who cannot make her own decisions.
WHAT RESERVATION. WHERE? SAY THE NAME, THE STATE IT IS IN. You know you can just search for native reservations on the internet, right? this isn't hidden knowledge.
▪ Angela arrived at our home by late afternoon, and was just as warm and friendly as Tíwé. Her hair was straight and black with a sprinkling of gray. It framed a lean face with two green eyes, just like Faye’s. Although my fiancée can be reserved around new people, she instantly took a liking to our guest, and within minutes they were complimenting each other’s hair.
The way the author writes women characters is so... weird and sexist. What are do girls like??? Say compliments to each ??? ??? profit!
The other thing that's grating is how shallow it is. Oh, it touches on some things but there's never concrete detail. Yes there's a medical evaluation scene but it's haphazardly thrown in and thrown away. for how long this book is, its too scared to exist in places the author isnt familiar in. I think this book could have done better with some research and showing, not telling.
I think what is grating about this is that there is a decent plot here. It does greatly need refining and removing of the weird racist parts. The author is self aware enough to acknowledge magical native americans is a shitty trope. But doesn't go far enough, and it feels like the author is purposefully or unintentionally skirting the base issue of that trope. I think this is partly in fault of it's origin. That this is a creepypasta from read it, and it shows.
In the author notes, Blackwell makes a big deal wringing his hands over how to portray Native characters and all the tropes and stereotypes associated with them, and how he wanted to do right by them. But at the end we still have all the white(?) characters alive and the two main indigenous characters brutally murdered by the indigenous monster ghost. So like, what was all that hand wringing for? Did you learn anything from the indigenous professor you name dropped like a shield against criticism? It sure as fuck doesn't look like it.
Content warnings.
minor ableism towards people who use drugs, gore, suicide, medical content,
medium child death, colonization, death, drug use, genocide, gore, stillbirths, suicide ideation, vomit
major anti indigenous racism and racial slurs, body horror, magical native stereotypes, medical content, police, psychosis, stalking?, violence
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Body horror, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Minor: Ableism, Gore, Suicide, and Medical content
karamelka_kar19's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Vomit
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
More...