Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

20 reviews

hemingwaysdick's review against another edition

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2.5/5 DNF @ 72% - I wanted to like Joe Hill, this is the 1st book Ive ever read by him. This book had a fun initial concept, I love supernatural stuff with some random thing thrown in. The first half of the book was relatively interesting, then it just devolved. The side characters introduced after the 1st half were so uninteresting that I couldn't bring myself to give a s*** about them. And then worst: it just got boring. I rarely dont finsh a book, and I just couldn't pick it up again. Im only 200 pages away from the end and its going to back to the used book store 

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kingsamong's review against another edition

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

2.75


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savanapavlak's review against another edition

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

3.75


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bruinrocks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This novel felt like a mix between The Shining and Doctor Sleep, it follows Vic McQueen as she struggles with the trauma of being attacked by Charlie Manx when she was a kid. I found this novel to be much more enjoyable after I read the prequel comic book Wraith. There is a near constant dread throughout the whole novel, never knowing when Manx will appear to wreck havoc on Vic and her families lives. There is some really strong character development and world building. Christmasland, a place that sounds like it should be magical and wonderful, is actually a horrifying location that keeps the fear at a maximum. With a middle section that drags a little the ending definitely amps it up to a 10 for the last stretch becoming very action packed, and explosive. 

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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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

1.75

Caution: There are animal deaths that get way more detail and time than the final deaths in the book.
You don't even see Vic die on page you just know she's gravely injured and then her son recollects that she died. Manx simply gets an engine to his chest. Hooper the dog gets hammered to near death and then ran over.
This book isn't so much horror as gore porn. It was a drag to push through from about 61% of the book on. One of the only fat characters gets a "happy ending" only once he becomes thin and goes to finish something saying he was told to when this wasn't ever shown to the reader.

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alohiel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0


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mattotheratto's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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tieflingkisser's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


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podanotherjessi's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wow. I wish I had read this in December because walking into a store and hearing Christmas carols while I was in the middle of this would have been horrific. This definitely has some flaws; the story gets a little muddled at points. The choice to play with timelines was maybe a mistake. Definitely has the penchant of a lot of horror of leaning on sexual assault and child abuse for scaring the reader, but not too often. Vic is a great character, flaws and all. Wayne is good too. Lou left a little to be desired though. Manx, however, is a fantastic villain, all the more because he truly thinks that he's doing the right thing.

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caidyn's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

CW: rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, murder, child death, child abuse, drug use, mental illness, and general violence

Apparently, all it took was trying multiple of Hill's books (including this one) a few times and also buddy reading one with my very good friend to finally find a book I like by this author. I mean, I've tried him so many times with so many books that this was a last-ditch effort. And I really enjoyed it!

I like how the book was split up and it felt like there were multiple climaxes in it. A first with Vic when she was a kid, then another when she was an adult. I also found Bing ten times freakier than Manx. Honestly, he was scarier to me because he was so unhinged, although that's what Manx profited off of. Then, there's the vampire mythos of it almost being like an energy vampire, so that was fun.

I think the only thing that was a pro and a con was that it piggybacked so much off his dad's works. In my opinion, that's the double-edged sword for Hill. On one hand, it's fun to see him linking his books in with his father's creations and seeing little Easter eggs in that regard. It also comforts me because I know that Hill will take charge of his dad's unfinished manuscripts when he eventually dies and will be able to keep it going for a while. On the other hand, I wish that Hill was more of his own person and didn't rely on those little things. Again, a double-edged sword that is both good and bad.

So, overall, I did enjoy it. I'm glad that I liked this and can feel confident that I'll try some of his books again. Maybe not Horns since I've tried it twice already and DNFed both times, but I will try him again in the future.

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