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supersol375's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Body horror, Bullying, and Confinement
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a very dark and strange little novel and I'm still not really sure how I felt about it. The writing is so atmospheric and some of the imagery will probably stick with me forever, but a lot of it didn't really feel like it meant anything. Considering the heavy nature of the real life topic involved I wish the book had had more to say than like "bad things are bad".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
stonams's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Violence, Bullying, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Torture, and Eating disorder
Minor: Animal death and Mental illness
exocutionn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Body horror, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual content and Mass/school shootings
readingwithkelsey's review against another edition
3.5
I am really not sure how to feel about this one because I felt completely underwhelmed by the ending but captivated by the beginning and premise. I will start off by saying I think Zappia is a fantastic writer. I have always really liked her writing style and she took it to another level with this one by integrating more horror vibes and I loved the dual timeline in this one. The overall mystery of the novel was good - I was wondering how the students were trapped inside the school (although the murders felt a bit lackluster to me and weren't really a more thrilling aspect of the book). I really enjoyed Cat's character and her overall story was interesting and her friendship with Jeffrey warmed my heart. I think the ending was the novel's biggest letdown for me. I don't think it lined up exactly as Zappia would have liked. I kind of get why they were stuck in this loop but also I don't? I feel like the novel still leaves you a little confused at the end and I am not sure that was the right path to take for such tough topics presented
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Bullying, Murder, and Mass/school shootings
halliewinschuh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you storygram tour for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Cat has become a monster. She and other students are stuck inside their high school, some are also changing into monsters while others stay human, all the while something is hunting them down. They don’t know what, but Cat’s memories are the key to why they are all there and more importantly, a way out.
I’m going to start this off with this book is not for everyone. It deals with A LOT of very heavy topics(see cw bellow) but it made you think and feel and cry. It was heart breaking and realistic. It isn’t the story that many of us want to read right now but one that I personally believe needs to be told. Especially with the topics that are covered.
Cw:
Bullying
Gore
Violence
Animals killed
Classist
Hanging
Sexual assault
Trauma
Mental health
Eating disorder
This is a spoiler for the plot but must be mentioned.
Spoiler
Underage pornography mentioned
School shooting
Cat has become a monster. She and other students are stuck inside their high school, some are also changing into monsters while others stay human, all the while something is hunting them down. They don’t know what, but Cat’s memories are the key to why they are all there and more importantly, a way out.
I’m going to start this off with this book is not for everyone. It deals with A LOT of very heavy topics(see cw bellow) but it made you think and feel and cry. It was heart breaking and realistic. It isn’t the story that many of us want to read right now but one that I personally believe needs to be told. Especially with the topics that are covered.
Cw:
Bullying
Gore
Violence
Animals killed
Classist
Hanging
Sexual assault
Trauma
Mental health
Eating disorder
This is a spoiler for the plot but must be mentioned.
Spoiler
Underage pornography mentioned
School shooting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Classism, Sexual assault, Violence, Gore, Animal death, Gun violence, and Body horror
Minor: Eating disorder
ninjamuse's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It’s been a long time since a horror novel scared the pants off me. And YA horror, when I’m getting less and less hooked by teen fiction as the years go on? That is a sign of a great book, right there.
Katzenjammer is surreal and claustrophobic and tense, to the point where I wanted to keep reading but couldn’t, because tension overload and fear of nightmares and all that. The stakes and the horror keep ratcheting up and every time I thought I had a handle on the the world of School and how horrific everything was going to get, I was not prepared. Like, to the last page I was unprepared. “Body horror” + “trapped in high school” + “she's slowly remembering everything” doesn’t even scratch the surface. This is so real and angry and beautiful and creepy and pointed and terrifying and I’m going to be thinking about this book for a while as I unpick all the layers. I want to scream from the horror and from how good it was, all at the same time.
Damn, but Zappia knows how to write.
Please, please check content warnings on this one, everyone, please. This was A LOT, and I haven’t even been in school recently.
(Releases June 28. Thanks for the publisher and my work for providing me an advanced copy.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Bullying
Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
thebeesknees79's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I received an eARC from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. That is the very first thought that came to mind upon finishing this book.
Let’s talk about plot real quick, without many spoilers. This is a twisted horror novel set in a living, breathing, terrifying school. Cat has a hardened cat mask for a face, and is struggling to figure out why her and others are trapped in this beast.
Now I’d like to share my thoughts. This is a raw, haunting, grotesque (in the best possible way) depiction of something we’ve dealt with time and time again. Zappia has crafted an absorbing world that you don’t want to be in but have to see your way through. This book is poignant, relevant, and treated with such care that everyone needs to read it. I’ll be honest, I figured out about halfway through most of what was going on, but I didn’t even care. I HAD to know how it played out, that’s how engrossing the author’s craft truly is. Damn. This book was solid!
Wow. That is the very first thought that came to mind upon finishing this book.
Let’s talk about plot real quick, without many spoilers. This is a twisted horror novel set in a living, breathing, terrifying school. Cat has a hardened cat mask for a face, and is struggling to figure out why her and others are trapped in this beast.
Now I’d like to share my thoughts. This is a raw, haunting, grotesque (in the best possible way) depiction of something we’ve dealt with time and time again. Zappia has crafted an absorbing world that you don’t want to be in but have to see your way through. This book is poignant, relevant, and treated with such care that everyone needs to read it. I’ll be honest, I figured out about halfway through most of what was going on, but I didn’t even care. I HAD to know how it played out, that’s how engrossing the author’s craft truly is. Damn. This book was solid!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Bullying, Violence, and Gore
markedwithanm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Death, Gore, Body horror, and Gun violence