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megandherbook's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The second book in the Indian Lake Trilogy did not disappoint. In fact, I think I enjoyed this read better than the first.
Jade Daniels, now going by Jennifer, returns to Proofrock after spending the past 4 years in prison due to the infamous events that people call the 4th of July massacre. Right when she returns, a convicted serial kill named Dark Mill South escapes his prison transfer convoy right near Proofrock during an intense blizzard. Jade (or Jennifer) is thrown right back into the world of slashers and will have to use her vast knowledge of horror movies that she's tried to forget to save her and the others in this town. But as before, Proofrock and Indian Lake are never quite what they seem.
First, I want to say that if you are a fan of horror movies, especially slashers, at the very least you'll appreciate the vast knowledge Stephen Graham Jones includes in this series. It's a dream for horror aficionados - I even wrote quite a view titles down that I wasn't familiar with.
While I enjoyed the first book, it was exhausting being inside Jade's head the whole time. Sometimes it was hard figuring out what was fact and what was just in Jade's head. I very much enjoyed how this book jumped between narrators. While it may seem confusing (and could be at times) I felt like I had a better understanding of what was going on. It also really allowed me to get a sense of just how impactful the Lake Killings of 4 years prior were to the town and people in it as a whole. The amount of characters are a lot, however, each one serves an important purpose and helped the many moving parts of this book to come together. This book also solidified my love for both Jade and Letha.
Overall, I highly recommend this horror series. To fully appreciate Don't Fear the Reaper I recommend reading the first book My Heart is a Chainsaw first.
Jade Daniels, now going by Jennifer, returns to Proofrock after spending the past 4 years in prison due to the infamous events that people call the 4th of July massacre. Right when she returns, a convicted serial kill named Dark Mill South escapes his prison transfer convoy right near Proofrock during an intense blizzard. Jade (or Jennifer) is thrown right back into the world of slashers and will have to use her vast knowledge of horror movies that she's tried to forget to save her and the others in this town. But as before, Proofrock and Indian Lake are never quite what they seem.
First, I want to say that if you are a fan of horror movies, especially slashers, at the very least you'll appreciate the vast knowledge Stephen Graham Jones includes in this series. It's a dream for horror aficionados - I even wrote quite a view titles down that I wasn't familiar with.
While I enjoyed the first book, it was exhausting being inside Jade's head the whole time. Sometimes it was hard figuring out what was fact and what was just in Jade's head. I very much enjoyed how this book jumped between narrators. While it may seem confusing (and could be at times) I felt like I had a better understanding of what was going on. It also really allowed me to get a sense of just how impactful the Lake Killings of 4 years prior were to the town and people in it as a whole. The amount of characters are a lot, however, each one serves an important purpose and helped the many moving parts of this book to come together. This book also solidified my love for both Jade and Letha.
Overall, I highly recommend this horror series. To fully appreciate Don't Fear the Reaper I recommend reading the first book My Heart is a Chainsaw first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit and Gun violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Child death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I preordered this book and then proceeded to not read it for months. "Chainsaw" had what I consider the perfect ending and it was hard to imagine what a sequel could bring to the table. Now that I've finished the book I regret not giving it a chance earlier.
While Jade is still the star of the show, this book expands to show other characters' POV, and all of these characters just feel so perfectly human. One of the early victims' internal monologue stuck with me for the entire rest of the book. There are a lot of moving parts and things going on in the book, but somehow it all slots together in a way where you couldn't take any of it out.
I really loved this. Fantastic sequel.
While Jade is still the star of the show, this book expands to show other characters' POV, and all of these characters just feel so perfectly human. One of the early victims' internal monologue stuck with me for the entire rest of the book. There are a lot of moving parts and things going on in the book, but somehow it all slots together in a way where you couldn't take any of it out.
I really loved this. Fantastic sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Medical content, Grief, Ableism, Addiction, Child death, Stalking, Car accident, Colonisation, Death of parent, Racism, and Gun violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Body horror, Confinement, Self harm, Incest, Sexual assault, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, and Suicide attempt
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Minor: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship
bananafreckles's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
acetheticallyy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault
dandaloriian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence
turtleofhades's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Moderate: Vomit, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Self harm, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Child death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Addiction
chloseencounter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-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
5.0
I was so excited to get my hands on this novel and it did not disappoint, I felt as if a lot of the things I wanted more of in My Heart is a Chainsaw where delivered to me on a silver platter in this sequel. More slashing and more Jade and Letha being a duo. The book was actually longer than the first and yet I flew through it in no time. My Heart is a Chainsaw sort of dragged a bit in the middle but it all paid off in this sequel because I already went in loving these characters, which made it all the more enjoyable. As a slasher girl myself I have such deep love and empathy for Jade as a MC and I was so happy to hear from her again, like an old friend, (actually, we graduated the same year so we would’ve definitely been friends in high school.) There were literally moments in this book that made me internally cheer for my girls! Jade and Letha will always have my heart. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the end of the Indian Lake trilogy and of Jade’s journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
rusereviews's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones is a literary horror thriller and the second book in the Lake Witch trilogy.
I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little over fifteen hours and is narrated by a full cast including Isabella Star LaBlanc and fifteen others. While the first book in the series has a singular point-of-view, this installment is heavily multi-POV.
Jade--now going by her birth name Jennifer--Daniels has returned to her hometown of Proofrock after her murder conviction was overturned. Convicted serial killer Dark Mill South has also found himself in town, after escaping from his prison transfer during a blizzard. Over the next day and a half, many bodies hit the floor and Jade and her friends must figure out what is happening.
Please read the first book in this trilogy, My Heart is a Chainsaw before picking this one up. Jones mentions in his Acknowledgements that he looked to The Two Towers and The Empire Strikes Back to figure out how to craft the middle part of a trilogy and I think he landed that pretty well.
SGJ is an amazing observational writer. He has such a way with descriptions that I feel I can nearly see a perfect image in my head while I am reading. I was pleased that this book also contains interludes with essays written by a student to their history teacher, a lovely reference to a similar plot device in the first book.
And boy oh boy, the themes in this book. There's a focus on trauma, and how differently people process it (or specifically do not process it and just ignore it). There's the usual examples of humans also being monsters, and a hefty dose of trope subversion.
The only downsides to this one is that in part due to the many POVs the plot was a little confusing to me at times. The first book in the series meandered a bit, but was a great character study of Jade, especially when it picked up in the back half of the novel. Similarly, the back half of this one also picks up the thread a bit more, with an almost manic dash to the end that keeps up.
If you're a fan of the slasher genre, you might like this series!
Tropes in this book include: slashers, local legends, revenge plot, isolation in blizzard
CW: blood, gore, murder, firearms, implied abuse, body horror, body fluids
I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at a little over fifteen hours and is narrated by a full cast including Isabella Star LaBlanc and fifteen others. While the first book in the series has a singular point-of-view, this installment is heavily multi-POV.
Jade--now going by her birth name Jennifer--Daniels has returned to her hometown of Proofrock after her murder conviction was overturned. Convicted serial killer Dark Mill South has also found himself in town, after escaping from his prison transfer during a blizzard. Over the next day and a half, many bodies hit the floor and Jade and her friends must figure out what is happening.
Please read the first book in this trilogy, My Heart is a Chainsaw before picking this one up. Jones mentions in his Acknowledgements that he looked to The Two Towers and The Empire Strikes Back to figure out how to craft the middle part of a trilogy and I think he landed that pretty well.
SGJ is an amazing observational writer. He has such a way with descriptions that I feel I can nearly see a perfect image in my head while I am reading. I was pleased that this book also contains interludes with essays written by a student to their history teacher, a lovely reference to a similar plot device in the first book.
And boy oh boy, the themes in this book. There's a focus on trauma, and how differently people process it (or specifically do not process it and just ignore it). There's the usual examples of humans also being monsters, and a hefty dose of trope subversion.
The only downsides to this one is that in part due to the many POVs the plot was a little confusing to me at times. The first book in the series meandered a bit, but was a great character study of Jade, especially when it picked up in the back half of the novel. Similarly, the back half of this one also picks up the thread a bit more, with an almost manic dash to the end that keeps up.
If you're a fan of the slasher genre, you might like this series!
Tropes in this book include: slashers, local legends, revenge plot, isolation in blizzard
CW: blood, gore, murder, firearms, implied abuse, body horror, body fluids
I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Gore, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual harassment and Gun violence
annemariemulksibb's review against another edition
dark
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
Don't read this if you haven't read My Heart is a Chainsaw yet.
While Jade didn't need to be loveable (and I didn't love her at first) in order for me to root for her and whoever she was rooting for in Chainsaw, I absolutely loved her in Reaper. Her obsession with slashers in the first book was just a lot and annoying, and I expect that this was intentional. It was effective. I loved in Reaper when Armitage comes along and his obsession has Jade wondering if she was ever that annoying. Lol. "Yes, you were. But I better understand you now for it."
I expected Reaper, once you got through the first scene, to take off as slowly as Chainsaw, but no. The first scene took off, and it never slowed down. I can't count how many times I audibly gasped while reading this book.
There were several times I had to reread passages to really understand what was happening. This was a combination of my having difficulty understanding spatial descriptions and the truly bizarre and unbelievable scenarios Stephen Graham Jones has his characters die in ("Wait, what just happened?!?")
I loved reading this book, and I wish it wasn't over. I wish I didn't have to wait for however long to read the third book.
Oh yeah, and there's more elk.
While Jade didn't need to be loveable (and I didn't love her at first) in order for me to root for her and whoever she was rooting for in Chainsaw, I absolutely loved her in Reaper. Her obsession with slashers in the first book was just a lot and annoying, and I expect that this was intentional. It was effective. I loved in Reaper when Armitage comes along and his obsession has Jade wondering if she was ever that annoying. Lol. "Yes, you were. But I better understand you now for it."
I expected Reaper, once you got through the first scene, to take off as slowly as Chainsaw, but no. The first scene took off, and it never slowed down. I can't count how many times I audibly gasped while reading this book.
There were several times I had to reread passages to really understand what was happening. This was a combination of my having difficulty understanding spatial descriptions and the truly bizarre and unbelievable scenarios Stephen Graham Jones has his characters die in ("Wait, what just happened?!?")
I loved reading this book, and I wish it wasn't over. I wish I didn't have to wait for however long to read the third book.
Oh yeah, and there's more elk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Minor: Child death and Forced institutionalization