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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
funny
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:
Complicated
This is my second read from Stephen Graham Jones. My first was The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, which I absolutely loved. That book introduced fresh ideas into the vampire genre and built toward a wild, creative finale that left me shocked, horrified, and fully entertained. It set a high bar, so I came into My Heart Is a Chainsaw with high hopes—especially knowing it kicks off the Indian Lake Trilogy.
So, did I love it? No. But I did enjoy quite a bit of it.
The story centers on Jade, a teenage horror fanatic who sees the world through a slasher-film lens. Think of that high school friend who only talked about horror movies and tried to get you just as hyped about them—they could be a little much, but they were also passionate, loyal, and strangely endearing. That’s Jade. She’s weird, obsessive, and often hard to pin down—but also someone you end up rooting for. It took me a while to connect with her, but once I did, I appreciated her complexity, even when she frustrated me.
The premise is clever: Jade suspects a real-life slasher is about to emerge in her sleepy town. No one believes her—because of course she’d think that. But as events start unfolding eerily in line with slasher tropes, Jade’s encyclopedic horror knowledge might be the only thing that can make sense of it all. Her “Slasher 101” reports to her teacher are some of the book’s best parts—fun, self-aware, and full of nostalgia for fans of 1970s and 80s horror.
There’s also a darker, more serious thread running beneath the gore—Jade’s trauma, rooted in abuse and assault. These revelations become crucial to the story later on, but for me, they didn’t quite land emotionally. I’m not sure why—it may have been the way they were woven in—but something about that part of her arc felt slightly disconnected.
Stylistically, the book felt dense at times. I found myself backtracking occasionally to keep up with the characters, town lore, and history. There’s a lot packed into this story—sometimes too much. I love rich worldbuilding, but this one occasionally felt like it was trying to stir too many ingredients into one pot.
Still, My Heart Is a Chainsaw is worth the read, especially if you’re a die-hard fan of horror movies and slashers. There are moments of real humor, tenderness, and insight, and Jade—despite all her quirks—is a memorable lead. I didn’t love it the way I loved The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, but that hasn’t stopped me from planning to finish the trilogy. Stephen Graham Jones is a bold, talented writer, and I’m excited to see where he takes the story next.
So, did I love it? No. But I did enjoy quite a bit of it.
The story centers on Jade, a teenage horror fanatic who sees the world through a slasher-film lens. Think of that high school friend who only talked about horror movies and tried to get you just as hyped about them—they could be a little much, but they were also passionate, loyal, and strangely endearing. That’s Jade. She’s weird, obsessive, and often hard to pin down—but also someone you end up rooting for. It took me a while to connect with her, but once I did, I appreciated her complexity, even when she frustrated me.
The premise is clever: Jade suspects a real-life slasher is about to emerge in her sleepy town. No one believes her—because of course she’d think that. But as events start unfolding eerily in line with slasher tropes, Jade’s encyclopedic horror knowledge might be the only thing that can make sense of it all. Her “Slasher 101” reports to her teacher are some of the book’s best parts—fun, self-aware, and full of nostalgia for fans of 1970s and 80s horror.
There’s also a darker, more serious thread running beneath the gore—Jade’s trauma, rooted in abuse and assault. These revelations become crucial to the story later on, but for me, they didn’t quite land emotionally. I’m not sure why—it may have been the way they were woven in—but something about that part of her arc felt slightly disconnected.
Stylistically, the book felt dense at times. I found myself backtracking occasionally to keep up with the characters, town lore, and history. There’s a lot packed into this story—sometimes too much. I love rich worldbuilding, but this one occasionally felt like it was trying to stir too many ingredients into one pot.
Still, My Heart Is a Chainsaw is worth the read, especially if you’re a die-hard fan of horror movies and slashers. There are moments of real humor, tenderness, and insight, and Jade—despite all her quirks—is a memorable lead. I didn’t love it the way I loved The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, but that hasn’t stopped me from planning to finish the trilogy. Stephen Graham Jones is a bold, talented writer, and I’m excited to see where he takes the story next.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
THIS COULD BE THE BEST THIRD ACT I’VE EVER READ!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
2.5/5
I think it's official and I can (sadly) say that I don't think Stephen Graham Jones is for me. I've watched slasher films but don't care too much about them, so while hearing some of the thematic requirements or general plot points of the genre was interesting I generally didn't care about the nods to all the classics. I also just couldn't care less about the plot and was just hustling through this book. I was never scared and I didn't like our main character all that much (I think that's the point and sometimes it's okay not to like a main character, but I didn't like her in a boring way). This is probably great for somebody, that's just not me and that's okay.
I think it's official and I can (sadly) say that I don't think Stephen Graham Jones is for me. I've watched slasher films but don't care too much about them, so while hearing some of the thematic requirements or general plot points of the genre was interesting I generally didn't care about the nods to all the classics. I also just couldn't care less about the plot and was just hustling through this book. I was never scared and I didn't like our main character all that much (I think that's the point and sometimes it's okay not to like a main character, but I didn't like her in a boring way). This is probably great for somebody, that's just not me and that's okay.
This book was scary!!! In a good way. A bit slow to start but I understand why now that I’ve finished it
dark
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
if anything, Stephen Graham Jones has one of the most unique writing styles I've encountered. At times lyrical, at others, difficult to parse. Savage and shocking and heartbreaking and all these qualities build as the story reaches a fever pitch. It's hard to tell from one novel how much is SGH's general style and how much is due to Jade's unreliable viewpoint. Regardless, I remained gripped even when certain passages threatened to pull me out as I slowed down to interpret them. At times I simply had to allow myself to flow with Jade's elusive state of mind, as everything eventually made sense despite her constant back and forth-ing on mysteries such as who the killer is. Enjoyably brutal at times, though the sadist in me was sometimes disappointed earlier in the story. Will be going straight onto the sequel as I am very interested to witness the fallout of the final chapters.
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i'm sorry, but no. I just couldn't get into this book whatsoever, and believe me, I wanted to SO bad. The characters just didn't stick with me, especially Jade the FMC. She just annoyed me to be completely honest, and there was not one redeeming factor to her. Maybe it's the fact that I know little to nothing about slasher films in the first place that just made me roll my eyes every time she talked about one. But wow, it was so overdone by chapter 4 I literally couldn't do it anymore. I was heavily considering DNFing this by page 200, but I'm no quitter, so i trudged along, only to be absolutely disappointed by the ending. I can understand why this book has so much good chat surrounding it, but it just wasn't doing it for me