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keiraonyxraven's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This novel truly has everything, it is jam packed full of action, gore, mystery, humour, horror, trauma, and a rollercoaster of emotions. From cover to cover, never once did I find myself bored or find a lull in my interest for this book.
Arnopp’s ability to portray the classic unreliable narrator in such a creative and unique fashion deserves unending applause and I honestly lost count of how many times throughout this novel where I audibly gasped at twists I never saw coming.
I’ve never read anything like The Last Days Of Jack Sparks and doubt I ever will again, it is so rare that you get a unique style, engrossing plot and flawless execution all in one book but Arnopp has achieved exactly that. This novel sits firmly in my top 5 favourite books and I will forever be recommending it to absolutely anyone with even the faintest interest in the supernatural.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Death, Suicide attempt, Grief, Murder, Torture, Violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicide, Gore, and Mental illness
tomatocultivator's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Self harm, Gore, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
cheyrohm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was genuinely creepy! Some parts had me scared to turn the page. And the last third of the book really surprised me.
Spooky season is coming so this is one to check out if you haven't already!
Graphic: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Self harm, Drug use, and Gore
hocuscrocus's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first half was a cool take on exorcisms and laid some really interesting groundwork. The format had a fun found footage feel, all told by a jackass you love to hate. I cranked through that first half at light speed.
Then came the second half. I don't mean to be harsh, but the story just fell apart. The groundwork that was so carefully laid in the first half is turned into ridiculous scenario after ridiculous scenario (and I normally love a good ridiculous scenario!).
In short, it was like reading two separate books and I greatly preferred the first one.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Blood, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Body horror, and Alcohol
Moderate: Fatphobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual violence
spooderman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Cursing, Death, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Misogyny, Ableism, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, and Suicide
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Incest, and Terminal illness
kermit_the_wrong's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Death, Violence, Murder, Blood, Gore, Body horror, and Drug use
sourdoirevalley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, and Self harm
Moderate: Violence, Self harm, and Gore
Minor: Pedophilia
anxiousbookclub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Gore, Self harm, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Confinement, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
katkinslee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Gore
madarauchiha's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ok what a weird horror book. Pop horror with a side of supernatural demonic possession and science fiction time travel. I'd rec this but with some caution. There's a fair amount of gore and death and other traumatic themes. The mc is intentionally unlikable and there are the usual edgy *ist / *phobic ways that go along with such a character. The writing was consistent and decent. The pacing is a little jarring and abrupt sometimes. It throws you through scenes without a care.
I can appreciate that in some way this is mental illness manifesting, but it's not blamed in an ableist way. The characters are quite straight forwards about it. I liked the unreliable narrator, and the sort of plot twist that leaves you questioning what the fuck happened.
I think this is a great example of semi lighthearted 'found footage' type genre in literature.
Misc bones to pick.
CHASTAIN: In layman’s terms, he was trying to control his own ego.LAWSON: What? His own ego? What? CHASTAIN: Listen. What the Mimi Experiment did, it projected Jack’s ego and turned it into a psychokinetic entity. LAWSON: How can a scientific experiment do that? CHASTAIN: Usually it can’t. But with a great deal of help from darkness . . . Jack’s ego was combined with everyone else’s to form a gestalt being. When that being came under threat, it rejected what it saw as the inferior parts of itself and came home to possess Jack.
This is kinda a plot twist? like if youre deadset on traditional demon possession and nothing else you may not like this. Then again you probably havent gotten that far into the story to see this.
What the fuck is this weird racism.
Just say 'the whisper game' or 'telephone game'.
This is some weird bad transmisogyny and cissexism. And intersexism? I think?
Content warnings.
major arson, blood, body horror, child abuse, death, drug abuse, drug use smoking tobacco, fire, gore, grief, house fires, misogyny, murder, parental death, psychosis?, religion catholic christianity, religious bigotry, self harm, sexual content, suicide, torture, violence, vomit
medium alcohol use, bone fractures, child abuse, child death, cissexism, drug use, eye trauma, gore, hand trauma, homophobia, medical content, murder, self harm, starvation, transmisogyny
minor ableist r slur, animal death, anti Rromani g slur, anti indigenous racism slur [Si*uxsie Si*ux], beastiality, blood, cancer, car crash, death, drug abuse, fatphobia, harvey weinstein mention, incest, infidelity, jehovahs witness, murder, overdose, pedophilia, racial slurs [sp**k], racism, sexual content, shooting spree, sinophobia, suicide, the sun magazine mention, whorephobic language
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Addiction
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, and Transphobia
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide