Reviews

The Fetishists by A.S. Coomer

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ummmm…???

so i got to this book by way of booktok. i have been wanting to read something scary, a thriller, a horror book, whatever, and this recommendation ALLEGEDLY fit the bill. i decided to try after i’m thinking of ending things by iain reid was such a boring flop.

dude. it’s bad. sorry mr. coomer, pls stop reading here

the author is a bad author. sorry. he just is. instead of just referring to the FUCKING bottle of bourbon, he repeated “the eighteen-year, the bourbon” a gazillion times. what?? why? we get it. it’s 18 year aged bourbon. also the chant that ~the creepy people~ say is “debts and bad pain.” if you’re going to chant something, at least make it CATCHY. OR MAKE SENSE!!!! BAD PAIN?! are you 5?? what does that even mean? and what are the debts???

there are so many things that made no sense and had zero explanation. and i think maybe? that could’ve been a creative choice because this was written in first person by a man who was very confused…? but it simply didn’t work. it came off as tho the author just simply didn’t want to flesh the story out, doesn’t even know the background in his own head, just wanted to write about blood. it wasn’t even scary because it was so poorly written.

i don’t get it. the book went literally nowhere. i only finished it because it’s so short. i don’t even usually write reviews but this was such a waste of a couple hours i couldn’t not. i guess read it if you want a couple gross descriptions of gore and that’s it. i’m so glad i didn’t spend any money on it

hexychick's review

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3.0

It's the ultimate "flip the script" story and never knowing the motivation behind Jefferson's pleasures or She's desires is absolutely fine. You don't need any of that to know some people are just that messed up and like being that sadistic.

I really liked the entire story up until the end. There was a great build up and a great amount of graphic details, but the ending is just too sudden and too flat. It felt like a cop out to leave it open to interpretation for the reader especially after building up so nicely and spending so much time on everything else leading up to that point. A bland ending like that ruins the effect. I would have rated it better and enjoyed it even more with a more fleshed out ending.

thomasdevito's review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

2.5

morganjanedavis's review

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3.0

I was looking for something in the way of gore/extreme horror and I definitely found it. This book is not for everyone and if you are strictly a classic horror or thriller reader I wouldn't go for this novel.

The novel follows a lawyer, Jefferson through a split timeline. One consists of a wild fetish party where Jefferson is looking for a ponygirl (I had no idea what that was until this novel but here I am now, fully aware and wishing that I wasn't LOL). The other timeline follows Jefferson after the party confused and looking for answers to what has happened.

This was an extremely short read, clocking in at 177 pages. I understand that in that timeframe it's hard to keep a plot moving and build strong characters but, I wish I had more background on Jefferson than what was given which was barely anything, just an odd flashback to childhood that did not explain or relate to anything. The book was plot-driven with a lot of what I assume were meant to be *things better left unsaid in order to add allure* but ended up seeming like poor writing and planning in my opinion. So many things are left unsaid and I feel that the author relied on the extreme gore and fetishism to make up for these things and they just didn't for me. Where the book failed in plot and character presence it made up for in extreme horror. I was truly disgusted by what I was reading and the insanity of the acts happening to the unnamed characters. Since I was seeking something blood and guts filled, this was what saved the book for me.

If you're someone who is actively seeking out something gruesome or you tend to stick to this genre in particular, I'd say go for it. If not, I'd pass this title up.