Reviews

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

suneaters's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is honestly kinda depressing. It felt like a lot of the bad things that happen are for shock value and add nothing to the story. Did we need Eli’s caretaker Hakan to be a pedophile? Just so we don’t, what, feel bad when he dies horribly? He’s already killing kids! It was so bizarre. And if we really do need it, why do we need his gross side quest assaulting some poor kid with no teeth in the bathroom? Just horrendous stuff. 

There were too many storylines that ultimately go nowhere (the drunks and Virginia especially and Tommy’s POV bits) and mean nothing. The story could’ve been condensed down to only Oskar and Eli. 

Speaking of, did we also need all the weirdness of Eli being stuck pretending to be a little girl to entice grown men to do things for him? And the castration flashback?
It seemed so…gratuitous. 

I wasn’t chilled by this book, just saddened and disgusted. Eli and Oskar’s relationship was very cute and really holds the book together, but there wasn’t really a great story here that makes wading through the muck worth it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bosh's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.0

Let the Right One In by John Lindqvist offers an enjoyable journey through a wide cast of intriguing characters. However, despite its potential, the book falls short of greatness due to a couple of key issues. Firstly, its narrative structure is choppy, frequently shifting between unrelated characters and sequences, disrupting the flow of the story. Secondly, while the final portion sets up for something great, it rushes through significant events, offering only a superficial overview compared to the detailed attention given to smaller, earlier occurrences. 

catherinealane's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

3.5

ineffable_bowtie's review against another edition

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4.0

Let me start by saying that this book is not for young adults and is not easy to read. There are highly sensitive topics which will make you uncomfortable.

That being said, this is a fantastic story. I finished this book in five days because when I wasn't at work I was reading. Other reviews have provided a synopsis so I won't go into the plot. I will let you know that this book is creepy, disturbing, and entertaining in a way that makes you question if you're sane.

If you like thrillers with touches of romance and are all about vampires, you'll enjoy this.

sovereign_taweret's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

3.75

vosteguin09's review against another edition

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3.5

wanna feel grossed out and icky and sort of start to hate people? give it a read.

annapanna39's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

onetrackmind77's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

jimmyviera's review against another edition

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4.0

Real page turner. There were a few spot that seemed like they were added in just to be edgy. But other than that it was a fun read.

lizzycatslibrary's review against another edition

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2.0

I waffled between a 1 and a 2 star rating for this one. There were some good parts to it but the majority of the book I was just cringing with feelings of ickness and grossness. I don't really understand some of the stuff that was put in here. It was just some chapters and parts just left you feeling seriously uck... and it seemed like it was for no reason. It seemed like every page the author was like hmm... how could I make this just a little more disturbing? I don't know, I really wanted to like this. I pushed through all 470 plus pages of it but I just didn't like it. I am looking forward to moving onto the next...