Scan barcode
heathi13's review against another edition
2.0
This was so bad.
The only characters I felt bad for were the poor cat and Jocelyn, who just happened to love the presumptious ass of a narrator and is now quite likely a demon carrying a demon spawn.
The only characters I felt bad for were the poor cat and Jocelyn, who just happened to love the presumptious ass of a narrator and is now quite likely a demon carrying a demon spawn.
kmparsons's review against another edition
2.0
It was a good book, but it was so short. Near the end, everything just kind of happened all at once. I feel like it should have been more drawn out with a better explanation. The explanation was so convenient.
It was relatively scary, the author created a great sense of horror. Overall, it was okay, but nothing I am going to remember for long.
It was relatively scary, the author created a great sense of horror. Overall, it was okay, but nothing I am going to remember for long.
kennycaw's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
justinkhchen's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Probably worked just fine on a Reddit forum (the story's origin), but extremely unpolished as a published novel; The Patient has some interesting ideas, but they are clouded by surface-level development and amateur quality control.
I have not been this distracted by spelling and grammatical mistakes for a long while, but The Patient has extremely noticeable amount of them; which is odd because the author acknowledged he has revised and expanded on the original Reddit submission prior to publication, and there was clearly an editor attached judging from the acknowledgment — so it's a little baffling why the final product still feels like it was copied and pasted from an online forum, without the refinement of a publishing house.
The writing is 'enthusiast' level rather than professional, with a 'made-up-as-we-go-along' quality to its plot; the characters are plagued with unrealistic reaction and stiff dialogs (most of the arguments among medical professionals come across as childish whining of 'I'm right and you're wrong'). The genre-switching mechanic in its final act shows potential, but the current execution is deeply flawed with some obvious inconsistencies, making it easy to question its logistic, without appreciating the bold choice.
I think context really hindered my experience with The Patient; if I have encountered this in an online forum, I would've enjoyed it as an above-average #creepypasta. But by removing it from the interactivity, anonymity, and questionable authenticity (is it actually a true story?) of that environment, it is just an ill-conceived, under-written draft of a story that got printed way before its due date.
Probably worked just fine on a Reddit forum (the story's origin), but extremely unpolished as a published novel; The Patient has some interesting ideas, but they are clouded by surface-level development and amateur quality control.
I have not been this distracted by spelling and grammatical mistakes for a long while, but The Patient has extremely noticeable amount of them; which is odd because the author acknowledged he has revised and expanded on the original Reddit submission prior to publication, and there was clearly an editor attached judging from the acknowledgment — so it's a little baffling why the final product still feels like it was copied and pasted from an online forum, without the refinement of a publishing house.
The writing is 'enthusiast' level rather than professional, with a 'made-up-as-we-go-along' quality to its plot; the characters are plagued with unrealistic reaction and stiff dialogs (most of the arguments among medical professionals come across as childish whining of 'I'm right and you're wrong'). The genre-switching mechanic in its final act shows potential, but the current execution is deeply flawed with some obvious inconsistencies, making it easy to question its logistic, without appreciating the bold choice.
I think context really hindered my experience with The Patient; if I have encountered this in an online forum, I would've enjoyed it as an above-average #creepypasta. But by removing it from the interactivity, anonymity, and questionable authenticity (is it actually a true story?) of that environment, it is just an ill-conceived, under-written draft of a story that got printed way before its due date.
sakoulas's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! Had me hooked from the first page. The ending wasn’t quite what I hoped it would be, but I don’t really know what I expected. It just lacked the personal oomph I was looking for. Really solid and engaging read, though!
ahahebsheik's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? N/A
4.0
moonlitface's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Worth the read if you like horror-thriller genre. Told in the form of online forum threads, this book is about a new psychiatrist at a state asylum in Connecticut who's trying to uncover the truth about the incurable patient "Joe". It was short, a quite fast read. I liked the ambience and vibes, but mind you, this book could be quite disturbing for some people. The ending was okay ... quite underwhelming, but I personally had no problem and think it still made sense to the build-up of Joe's peculiar character.
greeneryreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault