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grimdark_dad's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Classism
edoherty'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
4.25
I didn't think this was quite as strong as My Heart is a Chainsaw, but it still grabbed me and pulled me along for the ride. For all their flaws, I like Jennifer (Jade) and Letha and (most of) the other inhabitants of Proofrock Lake and I care about their fates. While I preferred the slower buildup -> explosion of violence of MHiaC, I appreciated the gonzo approach of Don't Fear the Reaper: there was certainly no waiting to find out when the violence was going to start!!
I have two main reasons for rating DFtR slightly lower than the first book:
1.I thought I could follow the identity-swapping between Ginger and Cinnamon, even up until the end. The final reveal with the wigs in Cinnamon's room, though, was one twist too far: I'm no longer sure I know which twin survived, and - more importantly - I'm not sure why it matters from an overall trilogy perspective. Whichever one survived, will, I'm sure, be an antagonist in the final book, but I don't know what I'm expected to conclude about that.
2.I didn't think the supernatural element worked quite as well. I figured out the identity of the ghost elk at about the earliest possible point, and it was interesting and had emotional resonance, but I didn't feel like it connected to the book as well as the appearance of Stacey Graves did in the first book.</spoiler?
I have two main reasons for rating DFtR slightly lower than the first book:
1.
2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, Gore, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death, Drug use, and Adult/minor relationship
starrysteph's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.0
Oh, yes - this is the continuation that I craved after finishing My Heart is a Chainsaw.
We pick up back in Proofrock four years later, where kids have grown up and loss has reshaped the community … but some things never change, do they? There will always be a killer lurking around the corner, ready to hunt down unsuspecting locals.
Jade Daniels - who goes by Jennifer now, thank you - is returning to town for the first time since the events of the first book. With this new distance from her home & trauma, Jennifer has reframed her point of view a bit and no longer sees the world exclusively through the lens of slashers (as she once had to for her own protection) - but that doesn’t mean she’s left her great depth of knowledge behind.
And when the power & phone line goes down and a serial killer escapes his convoy … Jennifer & Letha have to team up once more to save their town.
We have a massing scattering of perspectives here, and things aren’t always told in a linear fashion. It’s fascinating but can also feel disjointing - I struggled a bit at times to recall which characters and pieces of information were a continuation from the first and which were brand new.
Jones has such a unique bite and style of writing. It’s gory and horrifying and then unexpectedly emotional - and each narrator’s way of storytelling is distinctive, even those who only get a few paragraphs to shine.
However, I did miss Jade. She’s here, and she shines, but the focus is split so much that I was left wanting more from her arc. We’ll see where the third book goes.
The pace is much faster than the first, and I found myself catching breaths alongside the characters’ brief reprieves. There’s more guts and more gore. There’s identical twin mindbenders and chilling scenes with elk and monsters that were painfully human.
There’s a great blend of slasher nods and winks and references alongside horrifyingly creative all-new kills. I’ve seen my fair share of slashers but I’m sure there were also clever & specific references that went right over my head - Jones does a nice job of explaining just enough.
I personally preferred Chainsaw for its deeper emotional story and focus on Jade - but Don’t Fear the Reaper was still a wonderful sequel. And if you found Chainsaw to be too slow … you won’t be disappointed here.
CW: murder, death, gore, blood, child death, animal death, animal cruelty, body horror, pedophilia, adult/minor relationship, drug use, abuse, gun violence, self harm, chronic illness, mental illness, medical trauma, cultural appropriation, racism, classism, vomit
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical trauma, Self harm, Addiction, Car accident, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Dementia, Murder, Pedophilia, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, and Mental illness
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