Reviews with content warning for Vomit - All These Bodies

The only word I have to describe this book is "dull". And I feel bad about it. But it just... it promised a gruesome murder mystery and possibly some horror and a deep-dive into the nature of "truth" and what I got was... a lot of talking through the bars of a jail cell.

I actually thought the writing was quite engaging. I flew through the pages. But only because it was easy to read. Not really because I was hooked.

I think the main problem is that everything interesting has already happens when the story starts. Usually in a serial killer murder mystery, the murders keep happening as the story progresses, and the investigators are in a race against time. But there's none of that, really.

All we have is a girl who was found at the crime scene, covered in blood, who claims she didn't kill anyone. Who refuses to talk to anyone but our narrator, and half the time, doesn't even answer his questions. I couldn't get invested in their relationship at all.

By the end, Michael is willing to put himself at huge risk for her, but I had no idea why. There's a line towards the end where Michael observes that none of the school mates he's grown up with know him as well as Marie does, but I had no reason to believe that.

The horror elements are kept to a minimum, and honestly, that's to the books detriment. The ending is supposed to be ambiguous, and it achieves that to a point, but some things were left completely loose-ended.

In the author's note, Kendare Blake explains that this story was inspired by a real life killing spree that took place in a similar area of the US in the 1950s. I think trying to adapt real events while also throwing in elements of the supernatural, made for a little too much for one shortish novel and as a result, it ended up achieving very little.

Content Warnings

vixenreader's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The ending is anti-climatic, but the story still has an interesting perspective in how individual view and rationalize their own truths, despite never really knowing the truth.

Content Warnings

auri_underthing's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

This was a very strange and haunting tale, and very well written. The end of chapter 31 made me so sad.

Content Warnings

r0bin_05's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

a string of murders in the US in the late fifties, characterised by the chilling lack of blood at the crime scenes. a murder in a small town, the sheriff's son, and a girl.

supernatural / murder mystery / historical fiction

one of those that you read in one night [although that might have something to do with my scaredy-cat-ness lmao]. i did to try to reach a satisfactory not scary conclusion which was not reached. [on both counts to be honest]

so a) not my favourite genre because of the supernatural-ness
but b) well written on the most part, loved the world building
c) found the centering of romance annoying to be honest and unnecessary- i am a straight romance hater
d) ending fell a bit flat. a non-ending.
e) enjoyed the characters though

Content Warnings

sarahaf712's review

Go to review page

4.0

Content Warnings

ayoaash34's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

ending is vague and does not give closure

Content Warnings

More...