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codyjj74's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
aaronduncil's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
4.0
“What was the worst thing you've ever done? I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me …the most dreadful thing.”
gofftree's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
cwurst's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ekmook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? No
3.5
tknis31's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bearwhocanreadbecauseofmagic's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.5
Many of the events in this book feel sporadic and disconnected. There are a lot of moving parts, and for a majority of the reading experience, that makes the story feel over-encumbered. These moving parts begin to fall together in a very satisfying way in the last quarter or so of the book, but I felt that not enough rewarding pieces are fed to the reader throughout the whole of the book to hold attention through anything but willpower.
I wasn’t particularly charmed by any of the protagonists, and the most interesting characters were completely unlikeable. The character work felt a bit flat to me.
I think if you can push through the general character flatness and the stark lack of clues into the seemingly disjointed supernatural events of this story for a large bulk of your time reading, the way it’s all tied together in the end still makes Ghost Story a worthwhile read. It’s rare that a horror gets more horrifying the more you begin to understand.
On a more fully positive note, there were a few truly unsettling horror scenes that were described with all the chilling nuance a horror fan craves that are another selling point for the book.The scene with the bodies in the morgue moving a little whenever the sheriff isn’t looking gave me chills
I wasn’t particularly charmed by any of the protagonists, and the most interesting characters were completely unlikeable. The character work felt a bit flat to me.
I think if you can push through the general character flatness and the stark lack of clues into the seemingly disjointed supernatural events of this story for a large bulk of your time reading, the way it’s all tied together in the end still makes Ghost Story a worthwhile read. It’s rare that a horror gets more horrifying the more you begin to understand.
On a more fully positive note, there were a few truly unsettling horror scenes that were described with all the chilling nuance a horror fan craves that are another selling point for the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Suicide
Minor: Violence and Rape
sarah_bettina's review against another edition
3.0
I can see where he's going and how well it was developed, but it was a really slooooow burn. Got more action around page 300. Ending was great, but it took a while to get there.
fallonclark's review against another edition
At first, Ghost Story was a banger. But after the initial paragraph that hooked me, the story slowed and I found myself losing interest.
By page 34, the characters shifted, and I found myself following a group of wealthy old men for as-yet-unknown reasons.
By page 100, I still had no idea why or how the abductor and kid from the first 30 pages connected to the old men of the next 60.
Worse, I skimmed ahead to page 116 and saw I was about to go back in time a year, still with the old men, and I was too exhausted (read: bored) to continue.
I understand that this book is important to a great many readers, but it wasn't for me.
By page 34, the characters shifted, and I found myself following a group of wealthy old men for as-yet-unknown reasons.
By page 100, I still had no idea why or how the abductor and kid from the first 30 pages connected to the old men of the next 60.
Worse, I skimmed ahead to page 116 and saw I was about to go back in time a year, still with the old men, and I was too exhausted (read: bored) to continue.
I understand that this book is important to a great many readers, but it wasn't for me.