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albernikolauras'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
5.0
The plot follows a mangy group that go off to claim a reward for a witch they may or may not have killed. This book is a mix of Western travel and horror. It's a travel book, but it never seemed stuck on monotonous. It's bleak and heartwarming at the same time as these characters develop bonds with each other.
I wish I could revisit all these characters.
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Cursing, Suicide attempt, and Body horror
Moderate: Racism and Violence
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
bxnnny'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death and Body horror
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
wardenred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
“What it’s about,” Tom said. “is a witch.”
I felt oddly disconnected from this book the entire time I was reading it. I guess there's something about the writing style that didn't mesh with me very well? Regardless, I do appreciate the way the story is crafted. There are a lot of really fun things here, especially in terms of general atmosphere/vibe: a truly great mixture of western and folk horror and a very good spooky month read.
The characters were all distinct and recognizable and had their own agendas and their reasons to join up forces on this journey. At the same time, I never felt like I got to know any of them beyond the surface. I think that's that thing about the writing style that didn't quite work for me at play. A bit too much telling over showing? I think that's what played into it, combined with a really big number of POV switches.
I guess the two most recognizable and appealing personalities for me ended up being Rabbit and Rose: the former because the nature of her role in the plot primed her to be a fun mystery to crack, and the latter because the way her arc was laid out made her the most relatable.
Weirdly enough, my favorite parts of the books were the ones that weren't character-focused at all: all the spooky horror descriptions, the general vibe of being constantly on the road, traveling through dangerous, deadly places. Considering that normally I am a super character-oriented reader, this was a change of pace for me. Not an unwelcome one, just unusual!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gore, Animal death, Violence, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Rape
ginabelle's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Death, Child death, Cannibalism, and Suicide
fruitbatflora's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Death, Animal cruelty, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Cannibalism, and Slavery
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
sarahweyand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
As someone who isn't big on westerns, I thought this was a very well executed horror-western-fantasy smörgåsbord . The writing was good, the characters were interesting and had compelling arcs and different dynamics with each other, and overall I really loved the atmosphere that was created. I enjoyed the feeling of dread I would get each time the group arrived to a new location because Grecian never failed to surprise and disgust me with where he was planning on going. Surprisingly, I found the ending to be touching and sweet and felt it was a great way to wrap up such a grim, dark novel.
I do wish this book was a little shorter and it did start to get formulaic/repetitive towards the end. I also felt like the overarching plot about Sadie Grace was a little anticlimactic and hastily resolved, but I didn't mind it too much; I understand what the author was going for and I know there has to be some inciting incident to get our gang together and on the road and the story is certainly more about the journey than the destination.
I think this is a wonderful addition to the horror genre this year and would recommend it to anyone who loves atmospheric horror. Definitely read the trigger warnings, but I wouldn't overlook this one!
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Racism, Child death, and Cannibalism
Minor: Suicide