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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Asking the rim a question: "Is Daphne worth reading?"
No
No
dark
tense
fast-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
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this so much. It was an interesting idea. And for most of the book it was 3.5. But the last 100+ pages dragged. Every time I read it my grade would drop another .25 & I had a hard time reading more than 10 pages sometimes. Cool idea, meh execution, total disappointment.
emotional
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
This was a slower moving, character driven horror novel that I absolutely loved!
Following a group of female ball players from a Michigan high school team, we get this mix of urban legend and pulse pounding fear and anxiety. There is a name they never speak of… a woman so wrapped in the city’s lore that she is collectively forgotten to keep the town safe. When this group of girls breathes life back into Daphne’s story though, that’s when she comes… and she is out for blood. Daphne is picking off the teammates one by one and none of them are safe.
This was paced in such a way that really ratcheted up my anxiety. The pacing was perfect and had me fully wrapped up. I enjoyed this strange collective conscience of the town to preserve itself by not thinking about Daphne… until it was too late. The death scenes in this book were graphic and terrifying. This was just so much fun to read.
Following a group of female ball players from a Michigan high school team, we get this mix of urban legend and pulse pounding fear and anxiety. There is a name they never speak of… a woman so wrapped in the city’s lore that she is collectively forgotten to keep the town safe. When this group of girls breathes life back into Daphne’s story though, that’s when she comes… and she is out for blood. Daphne is picking off the teammates one by one and none of them are safe.
This was paced in such a way that really ratcheted up my anxiety. The pacing was perfect and had me fully wrapped up. I enjoyed this strange collective conscience of the town to preserve itself by not thinking about Daphne… until it was too late. The death scenes in this book were graphic and terrifying. This was just so much fun to read.
4.5⭐️ This book is brilliant! The metaphors of anxiety woven into a real life horror story for this town is so smart and impactful. Daphne a legendary tale/ghost story for this town and yet is very real and present in so many ways. This book made me feel anxious while reading it while also putting into words perfectly how anxiety feels. I was invested in the story and I know this book will stay with me for a long time.
I knocked off half a star because this book has ZERO chapters. Maybe that was purposeful to add to the anxiety of this book? I’m not sure but it made the reading experience difficult but also one I’ll remember.
I knocked off half a star because this book has ZERO chapters. Maybe that was purposeful to add to the anxiety of this book? I’m not sure but it made the reading experience difficult but also one I’ll remember.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Blood, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All I will say that this book should not have been this long and especially for the ‘payoff’ at the end, bc, what WAS that? 😟
It’s alright, and I liked how it talks about anxiety a lot !! But it just dragged on and on and on, and again, the ending was just, disappointing at best. :(
It’s alright, and I liked how it talks about anxiety a lot !! But it just dragged on and on and on, and again, the ending was just, disappointing at best. :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping
This was my first Josh Malerman novel.
It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins.
The ghostly aspects are spot on. Scary and suspenseful moments keep readers in the moment and actually scare them (I know I was at times). The anxiety representation was one of the best ones I have seen depicted in a novel. The character's outright denial about Daphne is completely believable. And that is what gives me an 80s slasher movie vibe. Daphne feels like a cult-classic slasher. Maybe we will see this on the screens one day?!
It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins.
The ghostly aspects are spot on. Scary and suspenseful moments keep readers in the moment and actually scare them (I know I was at times). The anxiety representation was one of the best ones I have seen depicted in a novel. The character's outright denial about Daphne is completely believable. And that is what gives me an 80s slasher movie vibe. Daphne feels like a cult-classic slasher. Maybe we will see this on the screens one day?!