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kmikitin's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Incest and Rape
school_for_scandal's review
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Addiction
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Self harm, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Rape
notanaardvark's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I felt more for the main character of My Heart is a Chainsaw than probably any other horror novel I've read. Her life has been extremely hard and even though she has flaws aplenty, but the way she tries to engage with life really makes me want the best for her. She actually is a good person despite her circumstances and her weird-girl outcast status. I might have really liked her because she reminds me of some people I know. This would have been a solid 4+ stars except in several places I thought the narration was unclear and confusing, and I had to reread some paragraphs a few times to understand exactly what was happening. Overall great book though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Rape
squisheebee_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved the narration of this book. Jade stole my heart & maybe it biased my rating.🤷🏽‍♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Classism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide, and Self harm
Minor: Rape, Confinement, Sexual assault, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders
falloutofmyactions's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Suicide attempt, Blood, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Murder, Violence, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape, Incest, and Pedophilia
imaginary_space's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
If you read it, read the author's notes at the end! (After reading the book, because spoilers.) He talks about his process writing My Heart is a Chainsaw and it's very informative.
This book hit me harder the second time around. Probably because, as often happens, the first time I was occupied with keeping up with the story. This time I could appreciate all the little nuances, the hints and the small moments of foreshadowing so much more. And for me, it's all those layers that make this book so good.
The first time I read My Heart is a Chainsaw, the revelation about Jade towards the middle of the book completely took me by surprise, I had not seen it coming at all. Which I found shocking, and it made me take a long, hard look at my privilege.
The second time, I suddenly realized why I had not seen it. Because in a lot of ways, I was Jade at that age, so her inner monologue and her behaviour seemed completely normal to me. Which is astounding, because my circumstances growing up were very different from Jade's, and our experiences weren't even the same, just similar enough that we reacted in very similar ways.
So yeah, that fucked me up. Thank you, SGJ. (I mean that unironically. I try to read diverse stories not just because I find it to be a more interesting experience, but also to actively learn about lived realities different to my own, and be a better educated citizen of Earth. Which is why I like my horror to be mixed with a good dose of real-world horror.)
The fact that Stephen Graham Jones wrote a character that I, a person from a very different background halfway across the globe, could identify with so much I didn't see the obvious, proves two things:
This book hit me harder the second time around. Probably because, as often happens, the first time I was occupied with keeping up with the story. This time I could appreciate all the little nuances, the hints and the small moments of foreshadowing so much more. And for me, it's all those layers that make this book so good.
The first time I read My Heart is a Chainsaw, the revelation about Jade towards the middle of the book completely took me by surprise, I had not seen it coming at all. Which I found shocking, and it made me take a long, hard look at my privilege.
The second time, I suddenly realized why I had not seen it. Because in a lot of ways, I was Jade at that age, so her inner monologue and her behaviour seemed completely normal to me. Which is astounding, because my circumstances growing up were very different from Jade's, and our experiences weren't even the same, just similar enough that we reacted in very similar ways.
So yeah, that fucked me up. Thank you, SGJ. (I mean that unironically. I try to read diverse stories not just because I find it to be a more interesting experience, but also to actively learn about lived realities different to my own, and be a better educated citizen of Earth. Which is why I like my horror to be mixed with a good dose of real-world horror.)
The fact that Stephen Graham Jones wrote a character that I, a person from a very different background halfway across the globe, could identify with so much I didn't see the obvious, proves two things:
- He is a truly skilled writer.
- Adult men can write believable teenage girls if they just write them as persons and not try to write them as "teenage girls(TM)". Thank you for that, too. Yes, I, too, am sad the bar is that low.
My teenage emotions aside, there's more I like about this book:
- The story is multi-dimensional, there's a whole mythology around Proofrock and Indian Lake that feels very much alive - an abandoned camp, a creepy local legend, real past tragedies, things that happened in the past people don't want to talk about ... it feels like a real place and it gives so many layers to the story.
- Also, I just love a
creepy little girl , I'm biased like that. - I like an unreliable narrator, so to me it's refreshing and interesting to see the story through Jade's eyes and her eyes alone.
- SGJ is a fan of "show, don't tell", and I appreciate that a lot. In general, his writing style is right up my alley, which is extremely important in horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
thevillainschronicles's review
2.25
trigger warning: child rape/ pregnency
First and foremost, let me acknowledge my misstep in opting for the audiobook rendition of this novel. Unaware of the author's penchant for a disjointed and perplexing writing style, my choice significantly marred what could have been an optimal reading experience. My review is undeniably influenced by this regrettable decision, as the intricacies of the narrative were lost in translation, compounded by the unavailability of a Kindle or physical copy.
Moving on to the substance, I found the characters to be disappointingly one-dimensional. Despite the protagonist exuding individuality and strength notably because of her trauma, the lack of a substantial backstory left her feeling more like a sketch than a fully fleshed-out character. Peripheral figures seemed relegated to obscurity, their names fading into the background and making it an arduous task to keep track.
While the plot held a kernel of interest, my dissatisfaction with the character development leaves me contemplating future works from this author with a degree of skepticism. Though the story intrigues, the absence of depth in characters and the challenge of connecting with them leave me hesitant to venture further into this series.
First and foremost, let me acknowledge my misstep in opting for the audiobook rendition of this novel. Unaware of the author's penchant for a disjointed and perplexing writing style, my choice significantly marred what could have been an optimal reading experience. My review is undeniably influenced by this regrettable decision, as the intricacies of the narrative were lost in translation, compounded by the unavailability of a Kindle or physical copy.
Moving on to the substance, I found the characters to be disappointingly one-dimensional. Despite the protagonist exuding individuality and strength notably because of her trauma, the lack of a substantial backstory left her feeling more like a sketch than a fully fleshed-out character. Peripheral figures seemed relegated to obscurity, their names fading into the background and making it an arduous task to keep track.
While the plot held a kernel of interest, my dissatisfaction with the character development leaves me contemplating future works from this author with a degree of skepticism. Though the story intrigues, the absence of depth in characters and the challenge of connecting with them leave me hesitant to venture further into this series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
alaskanlad's review
mysterious
tense
fast-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
1.5
I almost quit reading this book multiple times but it was an easy enough read that it felt worth it to follow through and find out how everything plays out. This was a mistake. It was absolutely not worth it. The writing is needlessly repetitive and the plot drags on and on and on then scurries forward in great lurches that are hard to follow. The main character Jade, though sympathetic, is not likable or particularly interesting (we get it, you love slashers, you are a horror chick, ok ok) and the minor characters aren’t developed enough to make you feel strongly either way. The climax was…disappointing to say the least. Perhaps would have been slightly less so if it only took 200 pages to get there rather than 400. Do not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Violence, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Incest, and Sexual assault
henrygravesprince's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
This is a slasher that embodies just how effective the genre in horror literature can be. It’s exceptionally clever and easy to get sucked into. I’ve read a couple of Stephen Graham Jones’s books before, and I consistently rate his work highly. This one combines the things I enjoyed about the other two books of his I’ve read: the focus on cycles of trauma with underscores of political commentary in The Only Good Indians (5 stars), and the genre-savvy campy nature of The Last Final Girl (4 stars). While I think this is my favorite of Jones’s backlog so far, I think the execution on The Only Good Indians was just a bit more polished, and so I’m giving this a 4.75 and anticipating going higher with the next two installments.
I 100% recommend this to people who like slashers for both the gore/horrorfest and the sociological and psychological undertones and people who love horror media because it gives them control over the circumstances of their fear. The strongest aspect of this book is the perfect meeting of social commentary to a brutal slasher. The weakest is that I think the last chapter could be paced up quicker than it is to hold the momentum the last quarter picked up on a little more. I’m glad I finally gave this book a go after years of wanting to but not finding the time. If you can stomach gory writing and you’ve considered reading this book but haven’t yet, now is the perfect time to jump in before the final book in the trilogy comes out.
I 100% recommend this to people who like slashers for both the gore/horrorfest and the sociological and psychological undertones and people who love horror media because it gives them control over the circumstances of their fear. The strongest aspect of this book is the perfect meeting of social commentary to a brutal slasher. The weakest is that I think the last chapter could be paced up quicker than it is to hold the momentum the last quarter picked up on a little more. I’m glad I finally gave this book a go after years of wanting to but not finding the time. If you can stomach gory writing and you’ve considered reading this book but haven’t yet, now is the perfect time to jump in before the final book in the trilogy comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Blood, Child abuse, Death, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Self harm
Discussion of child sexual abuse; Portrayal of gentrificationdanimacuk's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Incest, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Minor: Vomit, Racism, Rape, and Pedophilia