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gwyndae's review
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
marzipan951's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
timlarsson's review against another edition
5.0
Truly amazing, but struggles to live up to the first book. Was difficult to put down, highly recommended!
laerugo's review
5.0
dave and john have, dare i say it, grown up...?
sort of. also not really. this third installment is full of just as many ass jokes as the previous books, but a more (surprisingly) mature cast of main characters, even if it doesn't appear that way on the offset. we have found ourselves with a david wong who saves children, thinks about others, is still a bit of an idiot, and deals with the daily horrors of paying rent and finding meaning in a meaningless existence as often as he deals with the reality-warping nightmares he is hired to resolve.
this book did lose me in the third act. i'm not sure if, maybe, i wasn't paying enough attention or i just need to reread it again, but there were about three chapters of nonstop mindless action and i admit i started skimming because none of it really seemed to matter. but did it actually? i'm still wrapping my head around the ending.
there were some other frustrations i had, mostly with amy - i'm a bleeding heart liberal as much as the next person, but even i got frustrated with how naive she could be at times. HOWEVER>>>
[[SPOILERS]]
far and away, most of my favorite, and some of the most chilling, parts of the entire series have come from this book. dave standing in the bookstore contemplating suicide. the chapter of amy and not!dave, and "his" goodbye to her at the end, how it felt so humane coming from something we (but not she) knew was terrifyingly inhuman. the reveal that inter-dimensional maggots are feasting on the people that have saved and believe them to be their children. john and dave getting high on the sauce, blacking out for a weekend, and spending the rest of the novel in some hilariously twisted scavenger hunt of clues that their high selves had left for them to find. humans being treated like pets in that dimension gone wrong. marconi's last excerpt on the future of man, and what we are capable of.
[[/SPOILERS]]
why does this book of chilling cosmic horror have so much childish potty humor? i don't know. sometimes it ruins the whole scene. other times, though, it makes it. i understand why you have a character like dave, who doesn't give a shit (but really d0es (but really doesn't (but really does, maybe?))) serve as the star of this bizarre series. the david and john who walked away from an inter-dimensional war at the end of the first book aren't the same people as the david and john who hauled ass across this entire book to save the day for people who would never appreciate it.
who is david wong? wejustdontknow.gif
sort of. also not really. this third installment is full of just as many ass jokes as the previous books, but a more (surprisingly) mature cast of main characters, even if it doesn't appear that way on the offset. we have found ourselves with a david wong who saves children, thinks about others, is still a bit of an idiot, and deals with the daily horrors of paying rent and finding meaning in a meaningless existence as often as he deals with the reality-warping nightmares he is hired to resolve.
this book did lose me in the third act. i'm not sure if, maybe, i wasn't paying enough attention or i just need to reread it again, but there were about three chapters of nonstop mindless action and i admit i started skimming because none of it really seemed to matter. but did it actually? i'm still wrapping my head around the ending.
there were some other frustrations i had, mostly with amy - i'm a bleeding heart liberal as much as the next person, but even i got frustrated with how naive she could be at times. HOWEVER>>>
[[SPOILERS]]
far and away, most of my favorite, and some of the most chilling, parts of the entire series have come from this book. dave standing in the bookstore contemplating suicide. the chapter of amy and not!dave, and "his" goodbye to her at the end, how it felt so humane coming from something we (but not she) knew was terrifyingly inhuman. the reveal that inter-dimensional maggots are feasting on the people that have saved and believe them to be their children. john and dave getting high on the sauce, blacking out for a weekend, and spending the rest of the novel in some hilariously twisted scavenger hunt of clues that their high selves had left for them to find. humans being treated like pets in that dimension gone wrong. marconi's last excerpt on the future of man, and what we are capable of.
[[/SPOILERS]]
why does this book of chilling cosmic horror have so much childish potty humor? i don't know. sometimes it ruins the whole scene. other times, though, it makes it. i understand why you have a character like dave, who doesn't give a shit (but really d0es (but really doesn't (but really does, maybe?))) serve as the star of this bizarre series. the david and john who walked away from an inter-dimensional war at the end of the first book aren't the same people as the david and john who hauled ass across this entire book to save the day for people who would never appreciate it.
who is david wong? wejustdontknow.gif
carolinecobb's review
3.5
I’ve now read all three books in this series and I still couldn’t tell you what the fuck it’s about. Like seriously not a single plot point. But it was funny as fuck and I loved all three
h3ath3r's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
As I said in my check ins: JDatE continues to be simultaneously the most disgusting thing I've read while also being super funny AND juvenile, with occasional sincerity. I'm very glad Amy continues to be a core viewpoint, and in a mystery where perceptions lie, it was neat to bounce between David, Amy, and John's perspectives on the same events.
In book 3, Stephen R. Thorne returns to narrate. I feel like Nick Pohdehl had an appropriate mania to his performance in 2, but honestly if I hadn't looked up the narrators I proooooobably wouldn't have noticed the change. I'm glad I read these via audio though, because the performance of shrieks and sounds for the various creepy specters and weirdos we encounter is just so fitting for this. Book 1 had some text-specific things that work better in that format (which makes sense as it started as a web serial), but as audiobooks they're short (under 15 hours) and fun.
In book 3, Stephen R. Thorne returns to narrate. I feel like Nick Pohdehl had an appropriate mania to his performance in 2, but honestly if I hadn't looked up the narrators I proooooobably wouldn't have noticed the change. I'm glad I read these via audio though, because the performance of shrieks and sounds for the various creepy specters and weirdos we encounter is just so fitting for this. Book 1 had some text-specific things that work better in that format (which makes sense as it started as a web serial), but as audiobooks they're short (under 15 hours) and fun.
alex_hobbs01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A true return to form! I was somewhat disappointed in book 2, but I'm so glad that our author got back into the same feel as book 1. Funny, unpredictable, excellent!