Reviews with content warning for Car accident - Night of the Mannequins

In this book, you follow a group of high schoolers who have decided to play a prank on their friend, starring a mannequin they loved for a whole summer. And then they start to die.

I was not ready for this book. You follow one of the teenagers as the plot progresses, and while it sounds like a cliche slasher, it was so much more. Definitely one to read if you aren't too squeamish.

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daniellekat's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

2.0

This started out good but I found the storytelling too long winded, I had lost interest by the second half. I really liked the writing style though.

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livlamentloathe's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I knew it but I didn’t want to know it. Unforgettable. This one is gonna sit with me for a long time.

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cheye13's review

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I think I took too long to read this one, and the tension slipped right through my fingers. I'm not typically a horror fan, but I didn't find this all that scary. I'd call it more of a psychological thriller.

I did go in without having read the full synopsis, which I think really helped. I quite enjoyed the front half, not seeing a lot of the reveals coming. I really appreciated the nuances within the content: Sawyer is very much an Indigenous teen boy with a very specific experience, but he also has a very Everyman vibe to him. He has parents, friends, hopes, dreams – just like everyone else. It feels like any of his friends could step into his role and the story would be the same, which brings the mannequin concept full circle, imo.

The writing style and voice is very unique; it fits the story so well and is very fun to read. It's very evocative of a film and also a campfire/sleepover story, but still takes moments to use written word to full effect. There are a few sentences that stopped me short to either send a chill down my spine or an ache through my heart.

I think the writing style was spectacular, but the brevity and predictability of the storyline crossed with the universailty of the main perspective didn't really let me sink my claws in.

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