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tkatt20's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
I needed a quick and interesting read and this book delivered. It read exactly like some of my favorite teen slasher films and had me devouring every page as the tension grew. The first 50 or so pages read more like a contemporary romance and was not what I was expecting but I stuck with it and and very quickly realized how necessary it was to lure you into a false sense of security. All of the characters were extremely well written and diverse. Each major character especially had their own trauma and flaws but it wasn't an excuse for the characters to be irrationally rude or unpleasant, which seems to be a trend with YA books I've read in the past. Every character seemed extremely fleshed out (no pun intended) and had their own personality and I was so shocked at how accurately this book portrayed the media and community response to the tragedies that were happening and how screwed up it was.
I highly recommend this book for any horror/slasher movie fans out there. Some other reviews mention that the killer' motive wasn't realistic and ended up being disappointing but I didnt get that at all. I was very realistic to me and terrifying since it shows that you never really know what goes on in someones head. There was a perfect balance of heart-pounding scenes and lighter and funnier moments in between so nothing became to over or underwhelming and the writing style was perfect for me. I loved these characters and if the author ever decided to bring them back for future books I would be first in line for a copy.
I highly recommend this book for any horror/slasher movie fans out there. Some other reviews mention that the killer' motive wasn't realistic and ended up being disappointing but I didnt get that at all. I was very realistic to me and terrifying since it shows that you never really know what goes on in someones head. There was a perfect balance of heart-pounding scenes and lighter and funnier moments in between so nothing became to over or underwhelming and the writing style was perfect for me. I loved these characters and if the author ever decided to bring them back for future books I would be first in line for a copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
voidboi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
When this book was announced, I felt some disappointment that one of my favorite YA authors was moving into a genre that I wasn't particularly interested in, and I never got around to reading it. In retrospect, I'm glad that I didn't, because now I was able to read it with a fairly newfound appreciation for horror and slashers. This book is suspenseful and gory, but it still has qualities of Stephanie Perkins' work that I have always loved- Makani is real, relatable, flawed, and self-aware just as the author's heroines always are (which I found particularly refreshing and comforting as a teenager, because I always knew she took her readers seriously), but she's distinctly her own self. The honesty in how the romance is approached, by the characters and in the writing, feels particularly strong for the genre, again in line with Stephanie's track record. I didn't feel quite the same "swept off my feet" emotions as I did with Anna, Lola, and Isla, probably because it was replaced by apprehension and paranoia- I couldn't quite trust anything for the majority of the book. That said, I think the relationship was developed incredibly well, and I was utterly engrossed.
I do have a few complaints. I felt that Darby and Alex were underdeveloped and somewhat cartoon-y, and I wish they'd gotten past that before the end. I also thought that the reveal of Makani's past was a bit anti-climactic. Reading about what she'd been put through was horrific (though a bit weirdly formatted), but in the end what she actually did just paled in comparison to to actual bad things in her past and present, and it seemed unrealistic that the response would have been so world-ending for her. Honestly, if Jasmine had actually died I think it would have hit home, and created a stronger conflict between victimhood and guilt. And the end of the book felt very abrupt. It needed either a little less or a little more resolution.
This was a great spooky season read, and I'm so glad Steph Perkins was able to write this. Her voice is perfect for the messy and dark parts of adolescence.
I do have a few complaints. I felt that Darby and Alex were underdeveloped and somewhat cartoon-y, and I wish they'd gotten past that before the end. I also thought that the reveal of Makani's past was a bit anti-climactic. Reading about what she'd been put through was horrific (though a bit weirdly formatted), but in the end what she actually did just paled in comparison to to actual bad things in her past and present, and it seemed unrealistic that the response would have been so world-ending for her.
This was a great spooky season read, and I'm so glad Steph Perkins was able to write this. Her voice is perfect for the messy and dark parts of adolescence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Drug use, and Physical abuse
angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Drug use, Murder, Gaslighting, and Gore
buckydotson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun read, it makes you wonder who will be next and keeps up the suspense well in the beginning. I just really thought there would be more of a twist than it just being a kid no one expected or that we weren't introduced to at all? I still really enjoyed the story and was interested in the plot. I just wanted there to be more excitement or more of a mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Drug use
hazingodrib's review against another edition
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Gore, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Unfortunately, this really didn't feel like a thriller until the last 50 pages. Up until then it was a boring romance with a lot of teen drama thrown in. A good chunk of the book was just the two MCs, Makani and Ollie, trying to be alone to get into each other's pants. Pass.
The very first chapter is the first murder, so it starts off promising, but quickly tapers off. In this first chapter we get to see what is probably the best part of this book: the way the killer toys with the victim's minds. They are constantly doing things like opening drawers/cabinents, moving mundane objects, rearranging furniture, and other things like that to make the person second-guess themselves. I thought this was a really interesting aspect to the murders.
One thing that took me by surprise is that we discover the identity of the killer about half way through the story. It felt way too soon, and made the book feel longer than what it is. This combined with the abrupt ending, and Makani's "secret", just left the whole book feeling very unsatisfying.
But seriously, wtf was up with her secret ? They were being fucking hazed, and everyone was drunk/exhausted/pissed. Cutting someone's hair with a knife is pretty tame compared to everything else that was happening that night, and better some hair than someone's arm or something.
The very first chapter is the first murder, so it starts off promising, but quickly tapers off. In this first chapter we get to see what is probably the best part of this book: the way the killer toys with the victim's minds. They are constantly doing things like opening drawers/cabinents, moving mundane objects, rearranging furniture, and other things like that to make the person second-guess themselves. I thought this was a really interesting aspect to the murders.
One thing that took me by surprise is that we discover the identity of the killer about half way through the story. It felt way too soon, and made the book feel longer than what it is. This combined with the abrupt ending, and Makani's "secret", just left the whole book feeling very unsatisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Bullying
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug use, and Vomit
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