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annact's review against another edition
challenging
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
"It's Jade, sir," Jade says back
Jade Daniels, the woman that you are...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Child death, Torture, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Vomit, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Self harm, Sexual assault, Addiction, Gun violence, and Medical content
sdsmith80's review against another edition
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.
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
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, Gore, Vomit, Cursing, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Murder
xennial_reader's review against another edition
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!!
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
Graphic: Gore, Car accident, Child death, Murder, Violence, Animal death, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Child abuse, and Rape
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Misogyny, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Stalking, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Torture, Gore, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Moderate: Medical content, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Racism
Minor: Classism, Child death, Police brutality, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Trafficking, and Emotional abuse
PTSD, privacy invasion, mention of animal torture, s slur, MO lynching, MO Dakota 38, MO residential schools, drowning, car accident.bookcaptivated's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Animal death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Stalking, Body horror, Confinement, Medical content, and Gun violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Drug use, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Colonisation, Car accident, Genocide, Pedophilia, Self harm, Addiction, and Fire/Fire injury
enchantressreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
It’s always hard to review a sequel to a book without spoilers, but in this case, Don’t Fear the Reaper is less of a sequel and more of a second novel in the same universe. It works as a standalone, but I do highly recommend reading My Heart is a Chainsaw before reading Reaper. The plot doesn’t follow much into Reaper, but you do learn a lot about the characters in Chainsaw.
I gave Chainsaw a 4.5 star rating, and I’m going with a 4 star rating for Reaper. One of the biggest reasons for this is because I felt we didn’t get to see Jade as she truly was. She was (pardon the pun) quite jaded as she returned to town after her time in prison. However, Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite writers, and I loved everything about the story. I just wish we had more Jade.
I’m excited to read the third book and conclude the series. I think it’s possible my issues with the second will solve themselves in the third, as it tends to happen with middle books in a trilogy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Saga Press for the advanced review copy! Don’t Fear the Reaper releases on February 7th.
TW for blood, gore, injury, death, murder, grief, trauma, racism, animal cruelty, animal death, and an adult/minor relationship
I gave Chainsaw a 4.5 star rating, and I’m going with a 4 star rating for Reaper. One of the biggest reasons for this is because I felt we didn’t get to see Jade as she truly was. She was (pardon the pun) quite jaded as she returned to town after her time in prison. However, Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite writers, and I loved everything about the story. I just wish we had more Jade.
I’m excited to read the third book and conclude the series. I think it’s possible my issues with the second will solve themselves in the third, as it tends to happen with middle books in a trilogy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Saga Press for the advanced review copy! Don’t Fear the Reaper releases on February 7th.
TW for blood, gore, injury, death, murder, grief, trauma, racism, animal cruelty, animal death, and an adult/minor relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Violence, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Self harm, Animal cruelty, Racism, and Animal death
Minor: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide
ladymacbeth_1985's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
A dark, menacing, and addictive read, Don’t Fear the Reaper takes what was started in My Heart is a Chainsaw and ramps it up to eleven.
As with Chainsaw, this novel pays serious homage to 70s-90s horror movies (mainly slashers, but we also get some movies in other sub-genres referenced, all of which, brag brag, I’ve seen). This book is full of the over-the-top deaths you see in a Friday the 13th iteration (people being impaled on things, for example) and even a slight bit of a creature feature (my preferred genre of horror).
The book is about more than just abject horror though (in fact, while it’s tense, it’s not really scary - but that could be because I find ghosts scary, not hulking dudes. Cause, you know, if it bleeds I can kill it). Like Chainsaw, this is a story about a young woman fighting. In Chainsaw, she was fighting for herself, for identity and to find the self buried under trauma. In this one, she’s fighting for those she loves, and she’s fighting to have a life, to save other lives.
In terms of whether this book is better than the first, I’d say it’s on par. Just like the setting in Chainsaw was an homage to summer camp horror, this one is whiteout horror; the storm is what allows the massacre to happen, almost as if the earth were helping Dark Mill South with his plans. Given Jade, the final girl, survived last time, the stakes had to be higher in this one than just her escaping, which means a tougher environment and more at stake, namely, Jade’s friends.
That being said, Jade seems to take a step back in the middle of the novel, where the first book was all about her. While I was still quite addicted to reading it, the midpoint lost some of its steam. It didn’t drag, but for a while, I was wondering where the story was going. There is an attempt to bring in multiple POVs, which I enjoyed, as it added to the “everyone is separated and thus a target” aspect. There is also a part with Jade’s mom that was excellent and added some emotional heft.
One thing I also loved was the background for why Dark Mill South was a psychotic killer. It was a brief explanation, but it was extremely poignant in that it didn't excuse his actions, but showed how systemic abuse essentially broke a boy of his humanity and warped his psyche beyond repair.
On that sad note, I will wrap this up to say that if you enjoy slasher films and if you enjoyed Chainsaw, you should check out Don’t Fear the Reaper.
A dark, menacing, and addictive read, Don’t Fear the Reaper takes what was started in My Heart is a Chainsaw and ramps it up to eleven.
As with Chainsaw, this novel pays serious homage to 70s-90s horror movies (mainly slashers, but we also get some movies in other sub-genres referenced, all of which, brag brag, I’ve seen). This book is full of the over-the-top deaths you see in a Friday the 13th iteration (people being impaled on things, for example) and even a slight bit of a creature feature (my preferred genre of horror).
The book is about more than just abject horror though (in fact, while it’s tense, it’s not really scary - but that could be because I find ghosts scary, not hulking dudes. Cause, you know, if it bleeds I can kill it). Like Chainsaw, this is a story about a young woman fighting. In Chainsaw, she was fighting for herself, for identity and to find the self buried under trauma. In this one, she’s fighting for those she loves, and she’s fighting to have a life, to save other lives.
In terms of whether this book is better than the first, I’d say it’s on par. Just like the setting in Chainsaw was an homage to summer camp horror, this one is whiteout horror; the storm is what allows the massacre to happen, almost as if the earth were helping Dark Mill South with his plans. Given Jade, the final girl, survived last time, the stakes had to be higher in this one than just her escaping, which means a tougher environment and more at stake, namely, Jade’s friends.
That being said, Jade seems to take a step back in the middle of the novel, where the first book was all about her. While I was still quite addicted to reading it, the midpoint lost some of its steam. It didn’t drag, but for a while, I was wondering where the story was going. There is an attempt to bring in multiple POVs, which I enjoyed, as it added to the “everyone is separated and thus a target” aspect. There is also a part with Jade’s mom that was excellent and added some emotional heft.
One thing I also loved was the background for why Dark Mill South was a psychotic killer. It was a brief explanation, but it was extremely poignant in that it didn't excuse his actions, but showed how systemic abuse essentially broke a boy of his humanity and warped his psyche beyond repair.
On that sad note, I will wrap this up to say that if you enjoy slasher films and if you enjoyed Chainsaw, you should check out Don’t Fear the Reaper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
kimberlykesq's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Blood
mmccombs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
SGJ!! A king! Everything he does in this book (and most of his books) is just so unexpected. Each word, each phrase, each plot point just kind of hits you out of the blue to make for very compelling horror. The way he describes things is just so him, you’ll never see anyone write the way he does. Howweevverr sometimes this incredibly strange approach to description comes at the expense of having any idea of what is going on. Some really outlandish things happen in this book (for absolutely delicious horror!) and I sometimes was confused if I was actually reading what was happening correctly because things are so round about. Like how was Cinnamon involved? How many people (or I guess, spirits??) were out murdering in the snow? What was that part where we were under water with Stacey Graves? Was that actually happening? . I also just had a hard time remembering what happened in the 1st book and reconciling that with the new info that came out in the 2nd, I think this is a book you have to read right after reading the first. All in all, I still had a great time reading this book, it was a phenomenally scary story about survivors guilt and trauma, but I think it just lacks a bit of the focus and heart (lol) of the first installment of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail