Reviews with content warning for Gore - Don't Fear The Reaper

I loved everything about it! I loved Chainsaw, and I had high hopes for the sequel, and this still blew those expectations away.
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All the stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I’ll try to summarize some thoughts, keeping in mind that I could never do my love for it justice:
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This starts off strong and stays that way the entire 400+ pages. Since we don’t really get the emotional aftermath of the big event at the end of “Chainsaw”, the first 30 or so pages served as a much needed catharsis. I cried lots (but this might just be a me thing 😂).
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In true SGJ fashion, the character work is spectacular. He’s able to get into the minds of even the most heinous of characters and paint them as realistic and dimensional people. The growth and arcs of the established characters was amazing, and I loved seeing them interact.
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The writing is superb. I dare say this is SGJ’s best. He has the subtlest way of cutting to the bone. Just one line has the power to take my breath away. There’s strong symbolism and memorable, cinematic imagery that fits perfectly into the horror/slasher tradition. This sequel also manages to keep the meta lens that makes “Chainsaw” so distinctive while still keeping it fresh and nuanced. This is one of those books that works so well on so many levels that it demands to be studied, not just read.
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And the ending! I’ll be getting over that for the rest of my life.
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Jade. Fucking. Daniels. What a character! She is one of the best characters the horror genre has seen in ages. I love her, I feel for her, and I will always root for her.
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I can’t wait to see how this trilogy ends! (But also, I totally can because I am not ready to say goodbye.)

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valmai's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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 need the third book IMMEDIATELY. Also, read the acknowledgments because SGJ writes terrific horror and is also the sweetest man ever and obsessed with his wife.

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sdsmith80's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? No

5.0

<strong>Exhilarating!</strong>

I've been waiting for this book for what feels like forever. Its arrival wound up perfectly timed with a minor surgery, so I was able to spend part of my recovery in Proofrock, Idaho, with Jade Daniels.

This book starts off with a bang and just keeps rolling on an exhilarating ride through town. While there is some confusion as to who the killer(s) is/are, that isn't 100% cleared up in my mind at the end, it is such an exciting read. I literally couldn't stop myself from talking to my husband about this or that segment, even though I'm not supposed to be talking, haha.

I can't wait to see what comes next for Jade and the denizens of Proofrock. Especially after this killer ending. I can only wish that time goes faster so the final book in this trilogy will be in my hands a little sooner.

Content Warnings

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

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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

4.75

Jade, Jade, Jade! Here she is again not seeing who she really is. I love a full cast narration and enjoyed listening to this book. There was a good follow up of the living characters from My Heart is A Chainsaw but also a lot of new story. This was not a rehashing but a continuation. I always listen to the very end of a book and was glad I did. The authors acknowledgements provided even more depth and if possible endeared me even more to these characters. My only complaint is that there may have been too many POV's and that mannerisms or voice bled through them all, perhaps to the detriment of the story. I did love it though and Stephen Graham Jones is quickly becoming my favorite horror author.

Content Warnings

xennial_reader's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

“Because she’s Jade fucking Daniels. And a thousand men like you can’t even reach up to touch her combat boots”

Happy Pub day!!
Thank you to netgalley & to Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint! Although it did very much gross me out 😆 I’m not usually a fan of slashers, but if anyone’s going to get me to read one, it’s Stephen Graham Jones.

We’re back with our final girl Jade, 4 years down the road, freshly out of prison and most importantly, no longer going by Jade- she’s back to Jennifer. With no place left to go after being released, she has to abandon her dream of escaping her hometown and head back. And this time with a new (to us) serial killer on the loose and the whole town trapped in with him during a blizzard, of course.

This story goes off like a bullet and does not let up. SGJ is a master at weaving emotional depth with horror and social commentary. Jennifer/Jade is such a badass, flawed heroine you love to root for. She’s real, she’s angry, she’s sad and she’s just struggling to stay alive. Age, the forced time away and having been under trial for the past few years has made her much more toned down and self aware. With the escape of Dark Mill South (and possibly other killers in the mix??) it’s once again up to Jade to save her small town. She’s still insisting she’s not the final girl, yet again, even with all the signs she’s willfully ignoring. But, to save who she can, she has to tap into her old self which she’s been trying to forget and repress while she was away.

The growth of this character and the trauma processing (whether healthy or not) from everyone involved gave this story so much emotion and depth. I loved being back with my favorite final girl in Proofrock and being dragged along (honestly sometimes kicking and screaming it felt like) for this wild ride.

The only thing that didn’t make this a 5 star read for me was that, while I really liked the multi-POV, I absolute hated having to read the killers’ POV. The gore level was also well past my comfort zone, more so than the first book.

In any event, I’m simultaneously excited and terrified for the final installment of the Lake Witch trilogy. Stephen Graham Jones has become an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait for the next one!!

Content Warnings

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.0

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