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aceinit's review against another edition
2.0
This novel didn't quite grip me the way Hill's other works did. Though the story is readable, it never truly pulled me in, and I often caught my attention wandering even at key moments. I tried both reading the novel and listening to audiobook, which is excellently narrated by Kate Mulgrew of Star Trek fame. But regardless of the medium, I couldn't fall into the story. Too many parts of the novel dragged for me, enough so that when something truly exciting finally started, I still wasn't rapidly turning the next page to see what happened.
Though I liked Vic, I never fell in love with her or her story, which is disappointing, given the recurring themes of love in all its incarnations. The book has the feel of a novel that's too long for the story that it's trying to tell, as though it spent too long trying to craft relationships between characters without actually making those relationships worth reading about. And too much time is devoted to throwaway characters, such as the hospital security guard who has a run-in with Manx and a few others who cross paths with either Manx or Vic. The book would have benefited greatly had it been around a hundred pages shorter.
Charlie Manx, though definitely terrifying, always felt one-dimensional in a movie monster sort of way. Reading the Bing sections were worse. I always found myself wanting to skip over them because he was too unlikable. Not in a "he's a bad guy" kind of way, or in an "I didn't like reading about the acts he committed" kind of way. Bing did some horrible, horrible things which were depicted vividly by the author, but he never struck me as anything other than an annoyance, a character whose sections I wanted to flip past so we could get back to the main act.
And, though I am loathe to use this comparison given Hill's family tree, it reads very much like a 1980's Stephen King novel.
I wanted to like this book, particularly given how stellar "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Horns" were, but in the end I just couldn't quite get there.
Though I liked Vic, I never fell in love with her or her story, which is disappointing, given the recurring themes of love in all its incarnations. The book has the feel of a novel that's too long for the story that it's trying to tell, as though it spent too long trying to craft relationships between characters without actually making those relationships worth reading about. And too much time is devoted to throwaway characters, such as the hospital security guard who has a run-in with Manx and a few others who cross paths with either Manx or Vic. The book would have benefited greatly had it been around a hundred pages shorter.
Charlie Manx, though definitely terrifying, always felt one-dimensional in a movie monster sort of way. Reading the Bing sections were worse. I always found myself wanting to skip over them because he was too unlikable. Not in a "he's a bad guy" kind of way, or in an "I didn't like reading about the acts he committed" kind of way. Bing did some horrible, horrible things which were depicted vividly by the author, but he never struck me as anything other than an annoyance, a character whose sections I wanted to flip past so we could get back to the main act.
And, though I am loathe to use this comparison given Hill's family tree, it reads very much like a 1980's Stephen King novel.
I wanted to like this book, particularly given how stellar "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Horns" were, but in the end I just couldn't quite get there.
lexicon3000's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’m being a little generous I think, but I feel like I went in with unfair expectations for Stephen King’s son.
I really loved the beginning of the book, I felt like I was reading a uniquely different version of “IT” in the best way…but it ended up falling a little flat for me. I loved the main characters, but we kind of jumped through time and through the love story and I felt a disconnect. The beginning was SO strong. Visualizing Haverhill, the shortaway bridge, the bats with the brat’s face on them… it was so juicy and good! The details were amazing.
But I didn’t really feel like it connected the metaphors of its own story. Christmasland is never really explained, we don’t get the POV of many other characters other than Vic and when we do we learn very little about them.
I think I just wanted even more, which is good and bad! I really enjoyed the read though and look forward to reading his other books.
I really loved the beginning of the book, I felt like I was reading a uniquely different version of “IT” in the best way…but it ended up falling a little flat for me. I loved the main characters, but we kind of jumped through time and through the love story and I felt a disconnect. The beginning was SO strong. Visualizing Haverhill, the shortaway bridge, the bats with the brat’s face on them… it was so juicy and good! The details were amazing.
But I didn’t really feel like it connected the metaphors of its own story. Christmasland is never really explained, we don’t get the POV of many other characters other than Vic and when we do we learn very little about them.
I think I just wanted even more, which is good and bad! I really enjoyed the read though and look forward to reading his other books.
natnoble18's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kcmck's review against another edition
4.0
Not a huge vampire/horror genre fan, but this was very well written.
bedill's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
stepriot's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed it more than Horns, but Hill is a chronic over explainer. You get a mid episode review at least twice as well in this one. Aside from that and some mild inconsistency I thought it was ok. The reference to Robert Frobisher was a beautiful touch though.
aposthuma's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is SO GOOD. It has everything: romance, coming of age, fantasy elements, and a whole lot of pure horror. It starts strong and the pace just doesn't let up, culminating in a wonderfully satisfying ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Car accident, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use
sploof's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0