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broooe's review
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? No
3.75
princessdelrey's review
4.0
Truly wonderful story. Characters are mesmerising and in depth. I felt I knew them. Tragic but beautiful writing. King truly knows how to tell a story.
pratt_kat23's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
_kaylinconn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I love Mark Petrie with my whole heart.
I will say, this has just a touch of sexism lingering in the corners of the book that I did not love
I will say, this has just a touch of sexism lingering in the corners of the book that I did not love
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death, and Sexual assault
gunnerct's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
yourtapochek's review
2.0
I'm sorry, what?
I love Stephen king and I love vampires so this was such a let down for me. I actually tried to read this book years ago and ended up DNFing after the slow introduction, but decided to pick it up now since stated above (vampires! Stephen king!) And I couldn't see it going wrong. Unfortunately I ended up bored. The book starts an attempt at introducing the majority of the population of the small town of jerusalem's lot. I'm ok with slow starts and I like character building. Sadly, as the kills came around the introduction of these characters amounted to nothing because it provided no emotional payoff nor introduced any new ideas. The scares in the book felt dated to me, granted I'm very desensitised to scares. Overall felt like a b movie plot without much additional substance
If you would like something similar, a vampire invasion in a small village with same main moral question of who are the real monsters, in my opinion the anime shiki ,arguably,did more with the idea.
I love Stephen king and I love vampires so this was such a let down for me. I actually tried to read this book years ago and ended up DNFing after the slow introduction, but decided to pick it up now since stated above (vampires! Stephen king!) And I couldn't see it going wrong. Unfortunately I ended up bored. The book starts an attempt at introducing the majority of the population of the small town of jerusalem's lot. I'm ok with slow starts and I like character building. Sadly, as the kills came around the introduction of these characters amounted to nothing because it provided no emotional payoff nor introduced any new ideas. The scares in the book felt dated to me, granted I'm very desensitised to scares. Overall felt like a b movie plot without much additional substance
If you would like something similar, a vampire invasion in a small village with same main moral question of who are the real monsters, in my opinion the anime shiki ,arguably,did more with the idea.
calebmatthews's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good, but I’m curious about some plot holes in this one. How did Barlow get into the Petries house? Does Barlow have to follow all the vampire rules?
Normally I like all the characters in King’s books. I like all the main characters in this one, but the secondary characters weren’t great.
I audibly gasped at Jimmy Cody’s death. That was the most gruesome part for me.
Some of the stuff in this book was a little hard to follow for me, but I also read this before bed...so that might be on me. I tried not to factor that into my store.
A cool modern take on Dracula, but I have come to expect more from King.
I like the small connections King makes in his books (he beats his fists against the posts yet still insists he sees the ghosts - Salem’s lot x It crossover).
Normally I like all the characters in King’s books. I like all the main characters in this one, but the secondary characters weren’t great.
I audibly gasped at Jimmy Cody’s death. That was the most gruesome part for me.
Some of the stuff in this book was a little hard to follow for me, but I also read this before bed...so that might be on me. I tried not to factor that into my store.
A cool modern take on Dracula, but I have come to expect more from King.
I like the small connections King makes in his books (he beats his fists against the posts yet still insists he sees the ghosts - Salem’s lot x It crossover).
tabatha_shipley's review
4.0
What I Did Like:
+King does a remarkable job of highlighting the fact that this is a normal town with normal people going about a normal day early on in the story. It’s honestly where he does his best work. This could be any small town anywhere, which makes the horrific introduction of vampires that much more shocking.
+The doubt that practically everyone has for the mythical creatures is well written. It would be shocking if everyone were an expert or if everyone just believed it. This is more natural and realistic.
+The vibe is very similar to Bram Stoker’s famous vampire book, which was the inspiration for this one. It’s not easy to capture the vibe of something else so succinctly and considering the source material, this is high praise.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of Dracula who want something a bit more modern.
My Rating: 4 Stars
For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2024/02/13/2024-book-review-salems-lot/
+King does a remarkable job of highlighting the fact that this is a normal town with normal people going about a normal day early on in the story. It’s honestly where he does his best work. This could be any small town anywhere, which makes the horrific introduction of vampires that much more shocking.
+The doubt that practically everyone has for the mythical creatures is well written. It would be shocking if everyone were an expert or if everyone just believed it. This is more natural and realistic.
+The vibe is very similar to Bram Stoker’s famous vampire book, which was the inspiration for this one. It’s not easy to capture the vibe of something else so succinctly and considering the source material, this is high praise.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of Dracula who want something a bit more modern.
My Rating: 4 Stars
For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2024/02/13/2024-book-review-salems-lot/
kingjustiniii's review
4.0
This book feels very much like Stephen King’s love letter to the vampire stories that inspired him and it does them all proud. I still enjoy some of his other stories a bit more, but this book really is vintage old school King horror at its peak.
I do wish we got to see a little more of big bad Barlow. While every scene we got with the main vampire baddy in it was really well done, there were shockingly little of them. Any time we got to hear him talk he was so genuinely creepy in that perfectly charming Dracula way I so desperately wanted to hear more.
ALSO all these “M” first name characters got really confusing! I was constantly confusing Matt with Mark and Mark with Mike. I got so excited every time one of them died because I wouldn’t have to worry about mixing them up anymore!
Overall a fantastic vampire novel as to be expected from “King” of horror himself!
I do wish we got to see a little more of big bad Barlow. While every scene we got with the main vampire baddy in it was really well done, there were shockingly little of them. Any time we got to hear him talk he was so genuinely creepy in that perfectly charming Dracula way I so desperately wanted to hear more.
ALSO all these “M” first name characters got really confusing! I was constantly confusing Matt with Mark and Mark with Mike. I got so excited every time one of them died because I wouldn’t have to worry about mixing them up anymore!
Overall a fantastic vampire novel as to be expected from “King” of horror himself!
butterreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I went in not knowing what the book was about, which i recommend doing! It makes it more enjoyable. I really enjoyed the hints and then the reveal. It has a slow start. I found myself not picking it up. Then i crossed maybe the 70-100 page threshold and i couldn’t put it down! I would read this if you’re sensitive to graphic scenes. Child abuse and stuff. But it is a very good story. I enjoyed it. The ending was the tiniest bit disappointing but it was fitting in a way.