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binchbean's review
- 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: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Animal death, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death
chrschn's review
- 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
Tightly written weird western adventure that reads equal parts folk legend and gunslinging thriller, with a healthy dose of dark, unsettling horror mixed in. Red Rabbit’s depiction of Kansas is rich in magic, witchcraft, monsters, and some things worse than monsters. The primary antagonist is deeply disturbing and feels like a slimy black ooze in your brain.
There are a handful of central characters in the mix, each with their own peculiarities and motivations, some good, some bad, and some that are revealed along the way. Despite the wide cast of characters, each feels lifelike and realized and really jump off the page. Found myself very invested in the ensemble cast, and was pleasantly surprised with one character in particular who at first glance seemed little more than a set piece, but ended up being one of my favorites in the whole book.
The writing is vivid and descriptive without stumbling over clumsy metaphors or flowery language, and every scene plays out like a scene in a movie. (Side note, I would be shocked if this didn’t make it to screen in the near future). It should be noted what an accomplishment it is that the horror elements are successfully visceral, creepy, grimy, and unsettling without resorting to the sexual violence or graphic animal death that so commonly plague the genre. I understand that some people find this more palatable, but it feels cheap and grating at this point, so the absence of such content was hugely refreshing.
Super fun book overall and will be recommending this one to anyone who will listen.
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Cannibalism and Animal death
rivercat0338's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Death, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Body horror, Suicide, Gore, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, and Child abuse
bookjaims's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Child death, Cannibalism, Vomit, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Suicide, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Abortion, Torture, Terminal illness, and Death
flexxington's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Alcohol, Racism, Torture, Abortion, Gun violence, Body horror, Suicide, Death, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Animal death, and Gore
mals_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
love the idea of a little posse of people who don’t quite fit together. there was a lot going on, and the characters explored so much of the world. the worldbuilding felt very well-rounded and involved.
only detracting a bit from it because while i loved the world, i wish the characters themselves could have been explored a little bit more. this is very clearly a plot-driven book and while we do get hints of some background information, i personally would have loved to see more.
i think the pacing also slows down around the middle. i loved the beginning of the book in describing Joe and Rose’s life so much, and i wish that type of storytelling was used just a teensy bit more throughout (but that’s because i’m a character-driven person! if you prefer plot, this is def for you)
all in all i really did love the story. it intertwined western fiction and horror really well in my opinion. would def recommend for fans of this genre!
Graphic: Gore and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Suicide, Animal death, and Cannibalism
Minor: Racism
smurphy5337's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Gore
apcraig's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, and Death
krysley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The premise of this sounded great. I especially love when horror is combined with other genres, so I was excited to dive into this.
Pros: The music! I absolutely adored the music and the singing parts of this book. I replayed them multiple times, they were so good. There are definitely some creepy/horror parts in this. I loved how all the little elements and characters wove throughout and connected to everything. It was like little Easter eggs every time.
Cons: It did seem to drag a little bit in the middle.
The narrator: John Pirhalla caught my attention right away. The entire audiobook was so much fun to listen to.
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Suicide and Child death
noellelala's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Child death, Cannibalism, Animal death, Death, Torture, Suicide, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, and Alcoholism