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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Overall, a solid story. There were some fun nods to horror classics and the whole sound stages thing made me think of Scream in that meta-we’re-making-a-movie-about-movie-about-a-tragic-event way.
The pacing was okay, not like edge of my seat vibes, but I was engaged throughout.
Laura, the MC, lacked the kind of sympathy that make a reader want to see them pull through to the end—maybe that’s by design, but the abuse she endured at the hands of her mom and Hollywood felt wooden to me. I didn’t feel it, the true pain of the character, the way I think Winning intended.
Also, the takeaway that Hollywood and the people who make money on tragedy thing felt so obvious that when Laura decides she’s going to make them pay, I just didn’t care at all.
But hey, I read the whole thing, so take all that with a grain of salt.
The pacing was okay, not like edge of my seat vibes, but I was engaged throughout.
Laura, the MC, lacked the kind of sympathy that make a reader want to see them pull through to the end—maybe that’s by design, but the abuse she endured at the hands of her mom and Hollywood felt wooden to me. I didn’t feel it, the true pain of the character, the way I think Winning intended.
Also, the takeaway that Hollywood and the people who make money on tragedy thing felt so obvious that when Laura decides she’s going to make them pay, I just didn’t care at all.
But hey, I read the whole thing, so take all that with a grain of salt.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
We journalist Laura Warren, forced to confront a dark past she thought she’d left behind. As a child, she starred in The Guesthouse, a cursed horror film linked to a string of mysterious deaths. Decades later, the curse follows her again, and the lines between fiction and reality blur in terrifying ways.
I read this right after Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and, for the first few pages, thought I was almost reading the same book 🤣 (Burn the Negative came first BTW), but that changed really quickly.
I loved The Shadow Glass and Heads Will Roll so ii was really looking forward to this, and for me it delivers with an atmospheric, creepy tale with a clear love for horror at its core. This one leans more into psychological terror wrapped in Hollywood noir than a straight out slasher tale
The plot unfolds like a classic horror mystery, full of eerie settings, twisted deaths, and a creeping sense of dread. Laura is a strong lead, and I really enjoyed how her past trauma shaped her present, making her a complex and compelling character. The commentary on Hollywood’s dark side, from child stardom to the industry's obsession with true crime, adds another layer of intrigue.
The pacing a did feel slow a little in the middle however picks up and builds tension as it races into the final act.
If you're a horror fan who loves cursed movies and Hollywood conspiracies then had a look
I read this right after Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and, for the first few pages, thought I was almost reading the same book 🤣 (Burn the Negative came first BTW), but that changed really quickly.
I loved The Shadow Glass and Heads Will Roll so ii was really looking forward to this, and for me it delivers with an atmospheric, creepy tale with a clear love for horror at its core. This one leans more into psychological terror wrapped in Hollywood noir than a straight out slasher tale
The plot unfolds like a classic horror mystery, full of eerie settings, twisted deaths, and a creeping sense of dread. Laura is a strong lead, and I really enjoyed how her past trauma shaped her present, making her a complex and compelling character. The commentary on Hollywood’s dark side, from child stardom to the industry's obsession with true crime, adds another layer of intrigue.
The pacing a did feel slow a little in the middle however picks up and builds tension as it races into the final act.
If you're a horror fan who loves cursed movies and Hollywood conspiracies then had a look
When Laura accepted an assignment to write an article about a new horror series, her editor did not tell her the show was a reboot of the cult classic horror movie she had starred in as a child: a movie that had ended with a curse that led to the deaths of 8 of the cast and crew. The moment she lands in L.A., the curse seems to be back full force, and it's out for blood.
This book was a solid horror/thriller with its supernatural elements firmly grounded in complex, real anxieties, relationships, and trauma. What I like about horror most is how it can be used to explore the real pain and fears of our everyday lives, and I find it's most effective when rooted in the real world; this book does that competently.
However, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Laura and I'm not sure about the need for the twist at the end (I won't go into specifics because of spoilers). I felt like the book might have been more impactful for me if it had just stayed focused around her relationship with her mother.
Nonetheless, "Burn the Negative" is a fast-paced, well-balanced supernatural thriller/horror with a creepy creature, a compelling backdrop in the film industry, and is a new interpretation of the haunted movie trope (which I am personally very fond of).
You would like this book if you like a Nightmare on Elm Street-type villain, family/psychological horror, and an investigative element to your horror!
This book was a solid horror/thriller with its supernatural elements firmly grounded in complex, real anxieties, relationships, and trauma. What I like about horror most is how it can be used to explore the real pain and fears of our everyday lives, and I find it's most effective when rooted in the real world; this book does that competently.
However, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Laura and I'm not sure about the need for the twist at the end (I won't go into specifics because of spoilers). I felt like the book might have been more impactful for me if it had just stayed focused around her relationship with her mother.
Nonetheless, "Burn the Negative" is a fast-paced, well-balanced supernatural thriller/horror with a creepy creature, a compelling backdrop in the film industry, and is a new interpretation of the haunted movie trope (which I am personally very fond of).
You would like this book if you like a Nightmare on Elm Street-type villain, family/psychological horror, and an investigative element to your horror!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes