Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Black Sheep

I really enjoyed this book. The only thing was some of how it was writing was giving 2010s YA novels. The multiple references to Twitter and Reddit sometimes felt like they were bringing me out of the story.

It only had one moment that truly felt scary. Very minor horror like the type you see in YA, but with an older author. Some cliches thrown in, buy that was expected.

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sierraclimbs's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced

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

3.0

This got a 3 star for the last 30 pgs
The rest of the book, although a quick read, was not very enjoyable. It was predictable, slow to get to the point & unnecessarily wordy.
The whole time I was just thinking “this is meant to be an audiobook & listened to, not read”
I know writing conversationally is a style & I’ve even enjoyed books written this way, but this one just felt too casual
It also completely misrepresents Satanism & uses it as a stand in for Fundamentalism

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mikathereviewer's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.0

The book wasn't as good as I hoped it to be. I know that it was about a religion and family issues, but I didn't know that it was about Satanism.

Satanism is a religion I know a lot of, and also know that many people misinterpret it or have theories that aren't true. Satanists don't do cults, they also don't worship evil. They have Satan as a symbol of a 'Fallen Angel', not as 'Ruler of Hell'. The religion is all about doing things when asked or when allowed and not doing it otherwise. And that if one is rude to a Satanist they will face normal consequences, they won't get their ribs taken out and be forced to seal something. Satanism isn't bad. Or let's say, they aren't acting like everyone thinks and reading this book was really exhausting. There was even a scene where Vesper said that she don't know the difference between Catholics and Satanists. That already shows how stupid the book is and that no research was done. One believes in Jesus and one believes in Satan or rather in no one. Satanists don't have to believe in Satan. He is only a symbol in the Religion. As Satan is a fallen angel for things he did that he considered right, he became a symbol. A symbol to stand against authority and do what one condemns right. Most Satanists are non-violent and use Satan as an inspiration for their moral beliefs. So this book is highly offensive for Satanists and also people who as me think that one shouldn't support wrong accusations against any Religion. I am an atheist and I don't care that much, but it's sad to see that due to wrong or bad research before writing the book once again people belief that Satanism is bad and evil. I know it's only fiction and that it shouldn't be taken so seriously, but moments like 'I failed to see how Satanists were any different from Catholics' and 'Satanists didn’t have the tooth fairy' made me think that the author really didn't know what Satanism actually is outside of this fiction. That's the main reason I gave this book 1 star. Here's a short summary of the other points:

- Slow pace
- Weird wording (sometimes)
- Triggered me a bit (sexual assault)
- Too many references of other fandoms (Star Wars, Netflix Shows, etc.)
- Too many Anapher phrases (no other methods were used to sympathise the words)
- Flat characters
- Stupid decisions made by the MC (shares her trauma with someone she just met and gets mad when he tells it everyone)
- Too many things unexplained (why did the dog tried to eat her when she was a baby? Dogs don't do that usually. No explanation as to why Brody changed his mind on Vesper and married Rosie instead. Why did Brody cheat on Rosie?)
- MC is an escort (wants to kiss an almost married man)
- Emotional states were wrong (numbness doesn't make you feel anything, including boredom)
- Cringe (Man says he is Lucifer and all-mighty and they want to make Vesper a sacrificial offer)
- Simple + boring ending + too often used already (unoriginal)

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madelinequinnee's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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

3.5

This was a fun read, but kind of predictable

I guessed that Satan was Vesper’s father a few chapters before the reveal, and I then again guessed she was going to be sacrificed at the end

However, this was still a fun read, and I think anyone looking into getting into horror, this would be a good start!

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

0.25

this is one of the worst books i’ve read this year, and just in general. the plot is incredibly misleading. the very early “twist” should’ve been mentioned in the synopsis, if it was i never would’ve read this. i think books should 100% mention if there are supernatural aspects, because that is a huge part of the book and something i don’t usually enjoy. the characters were flat and none of them were tolerable. the major plot twist is incredibly silly and just juvenile to me. overall, i don’t think this was written well at all and it was just silly, and not in a good way.

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plumdustsuns's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

2.5

I wished the section after she left the wedding was a bit grander. The epilogue felt a little… baseless. I wish the ending birthday party and all of that got more focus and time, especially with the family and Constance than the middle part after the wedding which meandered and wasn’t quite exciting to read. I almost wish she didn’t ‘leave’ the first time and all she found out about herself and not being loved by the family was set in the farm with the members. Her being the antichrist didn’t feel like it had weight or consequences until the party and maybe her going off on Kerri and George but I feel those moments would have had more effect if it was with Brody and Rosie instead of them just falling. Her realization of her power would have held more weight for her and the readers. I just feel like she the book had a lot more potential than what it came to by the end and overall. Had her life outside of the farm held more weight or been more ‘exciting’ to return to after the wedding, it would have made the middle section better and made me want to not stop reading.
I wish we get a prequel on Constance. Intriguing.
Also don’t know what I feel about the devil being so powerless against Vesper’s tantrum and powers on earth. Wish that was explored more as to why he needed her teeth and hair to walk on earth. Once again, more time with him and in the farm would have solved that.
But the book had solid parts and I didn’t put it down long enough to stop reading it. Enjoyable but yes, I wish there was a bit more because the buildup to the climax didn’t feel like it had much emotional weight by then although it did.

Also what do you mean the devil wrote on an invitation with a black SHARPIE? A SHARPIE?

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charliebriggs96's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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