Reviews

Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink

bookish_houseplant's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've been a fan of Welcome to Night Vale for a long time, but never listened to Alice Isn't Dead. It's funny how people who listened to the podcast first seem to think novel moved fast, but I actually found it a little slow. Maybe the story wasn't slow, I just could only take so much of it at a time, so it took me longer to read than usual. 

I did enjoy this book. I appreciate the characterization of Keisha and her anxiety. Also the descriptions of the Thistle Men are so disgusting and horrifying I want everyone I know to read this just so they understand. That being said, there is something about Joseph Fink's voice that makes horrible things seem deadpan(?) that I appreciate. I'm not a fan of gore or body horror but somehow when it comes from Joseph Fink it fascinates me more than it disgusts me. 

thepaperbackplanner's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

This book has been on my shelf for years — since it first published in 2018, in fact. I always felt like I needed to read it in the dead of summer, the hottest part of the year, maybe on a road trip. But every year, summer came and went, and I didn’t pick it up. Until this year! And frankly it was pretty hot the week I spent reading it, so, I guess it was meant to be. For the uninitiated, “Alice Isn’t Dead” is the novelization of the podcast by the same name, from Joseph Fink of “Welcome to Night Vale” fame. I love Joseph’s writing, so of course I loved the writing here. It’s been a while since the podcast ended, so I quite enjoyed returning to the plot and characters, and I didn’t take notice of many differences between the book and podcast versions of this story. However, reading the plot of a podcast that updated like once or twice a month for years in a novel that’s only a few hundred pages felt so fast, like watching trees fly by your windows on the highway. I missed the way the podcast was able to linger in moments where it’s just not possible to do so in written form. I do wonder if I would have felt differently if I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Jasika Nicole, who played Keisha in the podcast. Maybe I’ll do that someday, whenever that mythical hot summer road trip actually happens. 

queeniecraft's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

hubris_and_hamartia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

littlespookysmut's review against another edition

3.0

So at first I was super into this book and I absolutely loved it! I thought it was super scary and weird. There are a lot of details that don’t make a ton of sense and the ending kind of left everything unfinished. BUT I loved the idea that when people are filled with hate, they just become actual monsters.

racinghiro's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, Body horror, and Violence

necro_mance's review

dark lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

It felt very overwrought plotwise. The "twist" or moral is a little ham-handed. 

The reading of the book was great. 

I wish it either developed the world and mythology more or the characters more.

joy_b's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

2.0

rosiecheeks's review

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

merilla's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0