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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the other reviews are right, this book seriously picks up so much in like the last quarter, but it is so heartfelt the whole way through, really. the first part of the book is a lot of set-up and it is so gratifying and feels so bone-deep when all that set-up creates the stage for the last act. some really, truly heartbreaking moments and also some very cathartic, triumphant moments. you really do grow to love the main character so much even if she is a bit offputting in the beginning, she feels very real by the end and i was rooting for her so hard it hurt.
ONE thing i do really think needs to be mentioned more to people thinking about reading this book-- and i DO really recommend it-- is that on-page, in detail in the first chapter (or second if you count the prologue as a chapter i guess) the main character attempts suicide. i do not feel that it was gratuitous or poorly done or any of that, but it does happen on-page right at the very beginning of the book, which frankly threw me off a lot because i wasnt expecting something like that at all so soon and i havent seen it mentioned anywhere prior to reading it. i understand that this is a dark, gorey book with graphic violence and i expected something like that in the book at some point, but it really is right away. that said, i really did feel like any sensitive topic that was used as a device in this book or described or being part of the plot was well done and i am not against them being present in fiction by any means. specifically the arc involving jade's childhood abuse i felt was very heart-wrenching and also treated with a lot of care.
i LOVED the amount of local lore and story telling, all of the stacey graves and ezekiel's drown town were so captivating and creepy and perfect and i actually really liked the way you had to slowly piece together their legends over the course of the book instead of them just being told to you. same with the histories of some of the other people in town and how their relationship dynamics were formed.
all around i felt it was very well done, especially considering i usually really dont go for the casual tone of voice in writing, like "inside a teen girl's head" voice, but it really started working for me like a third of the way in tbh! i am very excited to read more stephen graham jones books! this really did it for me, so i am excited to read some more of his more anticipated releases for me personally.
ONE thing i do really think needs to be mentioned more to people thinking about reading this book-- and i DO really recommend it-- is that on-page, in detail in the first chapter (or second if you count the prologue as a chapter i guess) the main character attempts suicide. i do not feel that it was gratuitous or poorly done or any of that, but it does happen on-page right at the very beginning of the book, which frankly threw me off a lot because i wasnt expecting something like that at all so soon and i havent seen it mentioned anywhere prior to reading it. i understand that this is a dark, gorey book with graphic violence and i expected something like that in the book at some point, but it really is right away. that said, i really did feel like any sensitive topic that was used as a device in this book or described or being part of the plot was well done and i am not against them being present in fiction by any means. specifically the arc involving jade's childhood abuse i felt was very heart-wrenching and also treated with a lot of care.
i LOVED the amount of local lore and story telling, all of the stacey graves and ezekiel's drown town were so captivating and creepy and perfect and i actually really liked the way you had to slowly piece together their legends over the course of the book instead of them just being told to you. same with the histories of some of the other people in town and how their relationship dynamics were formed.
all around i felt it was very well done, especially considering i usually really dont go for the casual tone of voice in writing, like "inside a teen girl's head" voice, but it really started working for me like a third of the way in tbh! i am very excited to read more stephen graham jones books! this really did it for me, so i am excited to read some more of his more anticipated releases for me personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual assault
i put sexual assault as moderate because while it is talked about quite a bit in the book, the ACTUAL ASSAULT is not shown on page, while the suicide attempt and abuse are.
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I /really/ wanted to like this book because Jade as a punk-rock-weird-girl-protagonist is endearing, but the pacing was glacial & Jade’s inner monologues (which are like 90% of the book) weren’t used very judiciously.
After all the buildup for 300 pages, the climax punches us in the gut with two reveals that (1) don’t reflect a payoff from the whole journey we’ve been dragged through (2) feel like irresponsible trauma dumping.
And then we get an ending that SGJ has GOT to know isn’t satisfying.
Overall, really neat premise that would’ve benefited from a slasher to excise the majority of its chapters.
After all the buildup for 300 pages, the climax punches us in the gut with two reveals that (1) don’t reflect a payoff from the whole journey we’ve been dragged through (2) feel like irresponsible trauma dumping.
And then we get an ending that SGJ has GOT to know isn’t satisfying.
Overall, really neat premise that would’ve benefited from a slasher to excise the majority of its chapters.
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i couldn't stop this once i started. i am so committed to stephen graham jones at this point. this felt like a true town, made with real people. i related in raw ways that left me feeling so scraped out after. i literally just couldn't put it down. i picked up the second book in the trilogy before i even finished the first. you've done it again my friend!!
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not bad. Really slow most of the book and definitely had me eye rolling a lot. Last 50-ish pages were fun but not enough to make it worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape