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nightstitch96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Fatphobia, Murder, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Death, Rape, and Sexual violence
violetturtledove'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: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Gore, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Gun violence, and Homophobia
theimposter's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Cursing, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
ruthypoo2'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
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Homophobia, Rape, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
robi_locksley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape
mimccub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Violence
_mad_reads_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Vomit
joyride's review against another edition
2.75
The first 2/3 of the book is also written and paced very well. The beginning is a fascinating slow burn that lays the foundation of the rest of the book. It is quite cleverly, and I enjoyed Peter's pov. The slow convergence of Morris, Hodges and Peter was also done very well, and I will admit I stayed up till 5 AM to get through that section. It was intriguing, it was fast, it was well-written.
[The Bad] Yeah, Morris Bellamy's end was shit. King seemingly ran out of ideas by the end of this novel, choosing not to explore any of Bellamy's complicated and compelling traits + motivations he himself laid out. He chose a lazy cop-out of "he's craaaazy and out for revenge!" Come on. The ending in general was disappointing, to be honest. It fizzled out rather than going out with a bang. The fact that the last scene was Peter in a photoshoot and Bill giving him some trite advice makes me scoff.
[The Ugly] King's books seem to get more bigoted the more he writes. It is nauseating how many outdated, nasty and archaic tropes he continues to use. "Predatory and fat and greedy gay man" sounds like a character he would have written in the 70s, not in fucking 2015. And it is not a passing mention, either. King seems to delight at every chance to describe in detail how disgusting and fat and gay he is. Jerome is also a bizarre character, further proof that King has never bothered to learn how to write Black people; he falls into a bizarre 'massa' voice from time to time, which is supposed to be Jerome making a joke. In what world does that make any sense..lol? The only other Black character is Bellamy's parole officer, who is also fat and sinister and taunting. Not any better.
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
One of the things that made Mr. Mercedes so interesting was the villain. While I was never keen on Bill Hodges, Brady Hartsfield was twisted and interesting. A strong King villain. Morris Bellamy... is... not. His motive was weak and tired. And while our young POV Pete Saubers had potential to be interesting, I found King's other young protagonists (Jake Chambers!) to be much more compelling.
Basically, Finders Keepers is tired. The story offers nothing that other King novels don't already do better. There's a little The Body (Stand By Me, for movie fans) and a lot of Misery in the plot, but without the suspense or intrigue of either. Bill Hodges, our series lead, doesn't even appear until at least 70% of the way through the book, and even then, he's just another one of King's nondescript cantankerous old white men characters without anything to make him appeal to the reader. King's written better villains and better protagonists.
What's more, for a seasoned writer, it's disappointing how apparent the second-book-blues are in Finders Keepers. This book feels very much like a bridge between Mr. Mercedes and End of Watch. For me, Mr. Mercedes was an average-to-interesting book... and the sheer boredom of Finders Keepers really has me in a place where even Brady Hartsfield's return in End of Watch can't tempt me back to finish the series.
The pacing is really rough. This is a common attribute of King's books. We spend the first third of the book getting to know Morris and Pete's individual histories. At about 50%, the plot starts moving forward. A little. At 70% we have Bill, Holly, and Jerome enter. All the real action happens in the last 15% of the book, pushed through quickly and tied up in a not particularly satisfying way. I'm left with a feeling that everyone suffered - myself and the characters alike - for no real purpose here.
And yet, somehow, this is one of King's short novels.
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, and Vomit