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i_am_a_goblin_riding_a_unicorn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
1.5
cyrereads's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I can’t believe I wasted 17 hours of my life listening to this book. I thought it would be like a thriller. Ben searching for his brother and something weird going on at the store. Like is the town brainwashed? Were they covering up something? Is it all in Ben’s head? No. It was very boring and very very slow. I’m not sure I can even find a thing I actually liked about this book. The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to know what happened to his little brother and was hoping it’d be some huge twist at the end. And while I didn’t expect that particular person to be behind it, it still didn’t blow my mind. I also don’t think I’d recommend this to anyone.
aimlesscolleen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
applelaney's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
kelli_jean_'s review against another edition
3.0
I understand with horror there is a certain amount of "don't go in there" feeling where the audience seems aware of something the character isn't, but this book felt very long for a conclusion that seemed a little too obvious. It made it hard to sympathize with the characters deliberately looking in the wrong direction. The beginning and the end I really liked, I just lost it a little in the middle with the wild accusations and wrong turns. Great sense of dread throughout though!
smileysam's review
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked this book but not as much as I liked Penpal by the same author. His visual descriptions always make the stories feel so real, and as someone who worked in a grocery store for years, Ben’s experience felt very very real. The ending, in my opinion, was anticlimactic. It felt like it was very rushed in comparison to the rest of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, and Body shaming
itsmattiebeck's review against another edition
5.0
Wow this story hooked me with its claws from the beginning. I read this in practically one sitting, as it’s 3:30 in the morning as I’m writing this review. It was tragic and gripping and kept my heart racing. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was unreliable. Every time I thought I had the mystery figured out, a new detail would be revealed and I’d question myself. This was terrifying in so many ways; the kidnapping, the nightmares and its creepy imaging, the amount of doubt cast over Ben. It was a wild ride! And the ending threw me…how tragic! And then you slap the authors note at the end of this, and I want to bawl my eyes out 😅 Dathan Auerbach is becoming a new favorite after loving both this book and Penpal.
klturner722's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
k3rmoon's review against another edition
I’m so bored. The plot doesn’t move fast enough to keep me interested in the story and mystery of all. I rather read a summary to find out what happens.