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dozyfirbolg's review against another edition
3.75
pair this with Joe hills ability to make questionable choices In his writing regarding certain characters - Lou chief among them, and how his fatness is used as a plot device, and the way in which he writes Bing and expands on Bings thoughts that left a bad taste in my mouth.
Do not get me wrong, I knew what I was signing up for here, I read horror a lot but there's a lack of finesse and care to this book that distracts from what he was trying to accomplish here.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Pedophilia
pbandjane_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Drug use and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
itsyogirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Pedophilia
randi108's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
papayapuffin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Sexual assault, and Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal death and Adult/minor relationship
skeptic_hecate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Drug use, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, Abandonment, Child death, Self harm, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, and Stalking
pclairx's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Fatphobia
locke_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Torture, Addiction, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
melchncookies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Rape, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Fatphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
hayleys_comment's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Technical-goodness aside, I have a some mixed feelings about Hill’s work. The book’s a bit like Dracula, in that every once and a while, there will be a scene that really grabs you, or a line that makes your pulse pound. Everything in-between is just background noise. Of the (roughly) 700 pages, only a handful are memorable.
If you’re not sure whether this book is for you, here are a few things to consider:
1. The novel relies heavily on themes of sexism, sexual assault, and child abuse. There are a few scenes that feature existential/body horror, but they’re less prevalent.
2. Hill is fantastic at scene descriptions. When he’s describing something cool, it’s awesome. Really, really awesome. When he’s describing something gross, it’s visceral. And this novel gets gross. Really, really gross. Nothing too crazy for a horror novel, but it’s definitely worth mentioning, especially with point #1.
3. Ask yourself this: could you ever think of Christmas as something strange, or scary? If the answer is no, you’ll have a hard time suspending your disbelief. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try, but it may have an effect on how you engage with Hill’s story. Christmasland is a big deal.
4. If you’re hesitant, check the content warnings. Seriously. There’s no shame in saying, “this isn’t for me,” or, “not right now.” You can always come back later.
Bonus:
The audio book, narrated by Kate Mulgrew, is absolutely bonkers. 10/10. If you’re an audio person, you’re in for a treat.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gun violence