You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is such an interesting premise, and I stuck it out to the end to see how it paid off. Unfortunately, I'm not a Lovecraft fan, so this wasn't for me.
This also suffers from King's cringe-worthy characterizations of young people, women, and BIPOC. It seems to only grow worse as he ages and all of his "modern" characters are stuck in 1983. I don't regret reading it, but there are better options out there.
This also suffers from King's cringe-worthy characterizations of young people, women, and BIPOC. It seems to only grow worse as he ages and all of his "modern" characters are stuck in 1983. I don't regret reading it, but there are better options out there.
This was a pretty good book. It kept me interested all the way through. Really, it felt like a really long Lovecraft story, which is a good thing!
This book was incredibly brutal. Nobody does grief like Stephen King. Absolutely nobody. Chapter three hit me like a ton of bricks and I never precisely recovered. There's so many elements of this story that are classic King, but then the ending... there's so much to unpack and I have no idea how to start trying to fit it in with the rest of the multiverse. Weird, horrific, Lovecraftian, kind of gorgeous. God I love this author. I'm only giving it 4/5 because I'm sort of scrambling to fit it within the rest of the King multiverse and maybe that's not the right impulse but I can't help it.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fun to see a cosmic horror moment. A solid Stephen King work. A little underwhelming from the cosmic horror angle.
There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed; experimental electricity, the Methodist church, and the “terrible sermon” were all standout elements. However, I didn’t much care for Jamie’s entire coming-of-age story. In fact, I didn’t feel a strong attachment to any of the characters. Not only did the pacing feel slow, but the narrative also seemed to lack some important filler information that could have enriched the story. In my opinion, the ending was far too strong for such a weak buildup.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't assign this book a star rating. When I finished it I closed the book, set it down, and immediately got up to put my shoes on and take the book to the first donation box I could find, because I did not want it in my home. Not because of any fundamental hate for it, this book so deeply unsettled me that I just did not want to have it where I live and sleep.
At some point I will port over my original Goodreads review, which goes into more detail. In short, I come from a religious background, and was pretty primed for Revival to get under my skin. I love horror, including longer horror (I have read IT and might one day make a review for it, and I have read The Stand multiple times), but reading this book felt like slowly drowning. It continues to haunt me, though now I can look back and laugh at just how much it got under my skin, though that does not mean I will be bringing another copy into my home. I don't know if I can recommend it really, for horror lovers I'd say it's a good book certainly, but for anyone with a former-Christian background, I would tread lightly.
At some point I will port over my original Goodreads review, which goes into more detail. In short, I come from a religious background, and was pretty primed for Revival to get under my skin. I love horror, including longer horror (I have read IT and might one day make a review for it, and I have read The Stand multiple times), but reading this book felt like slowly drowning. It continues to haunt me, though now I can look back and laugh at just how much it got under my skin, though that does not mean I will be bringing another copy into my home. I don't know if I can recommend it really, for horror lovers I'd say it's a good book certainly, but for anyone with a former-Christian background, I would tread lightly.