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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I was getting very 80s vibes from this book and it definitely works better to set it then seeing how the MC is having a psychotic break and he's the murderer after all and that's the spooky factor is a reveal that's from that time period, being real. Yeah, being inside Sawyer's mind is creepy and sad bc at no point in the story is the living mannequin a real possibility so it's just delusions and atrophied logic all the time. But the whole premise is kinda insensitive at the same time? Like idk if it's right to use psychosis like this for scares? I also feel slightly bamboozled bc I thought there was gonna be an actual living killer mannequin on the loose but no. This book was kinda ass but I didn't loathe it and the writing was all right for the most part but I still wasted my time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
NIGHT OF THE MANNEQUINS is an absorbing thriller, expertly balanced and engrossing until the last moments.
Sawyer is a careful but unreliable narrator. He faithfully tells what happened, but his idea of what is literally happening versus what he's merely convinced is happening leaves a lot of very unsettling possibilities open. By the end I settled on an answer, but part of me still thinks the second option is viable. It shook me on a fundamental level and I’m still thinking about it days later. The story is told mostly linearly, and those small deviations from linearity start to add up as Sawyer gradually decides to tell backstory when it becomes necessary (but usually well after it’s first relevant).
It’s fantastic, I loved every minute! I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Sawyer is a careful but unreliable narrator. He faithfully tells what happened, but his idea of what is literally happening versus what he's merely convinced is happening leaves a lot of very unsettling possibilities open. By the end I settled on an answer, but part of me still thinks the second option is viable. It shook me on a fundamental level and I’m still thinking about it days later. The story is told mostly linearly, and those small deviations from linearity start to add up as Sawyer gradually decides to tell backstory when it becomes necessary (but usually well after it’s first relevant).
It’s fantastic, I loved every minute! I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Vomit, Violence, Gore, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs, Medical content, Ableism, Sexual content, and Car accident
TW for Harry Potter reference (brief).
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