baileyclose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Injury/injury detail, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Ableism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping
skeptic_hecate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Drug use, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, Abandonment, Child death, Self harm, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, and Stalking
pclairx's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Fatphobia
locke_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/injury detail, Child death, Torture, Addiction, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
ptoridactyl30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Blood, Sexism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Blood, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abandonment
melchncookies's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Rape, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Fatphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
hayleys_comment's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Technical-goodness aside, I have a some mixed feelings about Hill’s work. The book’s a bit like Dracula, in that every once and a while, there will be a scene that really grabs you, or a line that makes your pulse pound. Everything in-between is just background noise. Of the (roughly) 700 pages, only a handful are memorable.
If you’re not sure whether this book is for you, here are a few things to consider:
1. The novel relies heavily on themes of sexism, sexual assault, and child abuse. There are a few scenes that feature existential/body horror, but they’re less prevalent.
2. Hill is fantastic at scene descriptions. When he’s describing something cool, it’s awesome. Really, really awesome. When he’s describing something gross, it’s visceral. And this novel gets gross. Really, really gross. Nothing too crazy for a horror novel, but it’s definitely worth mentioning, especially with point #1.
3. Ask yourself this: could you ever think of Christmas as something strange, or scary? If the answer is no, you’ll have a hard time suspending your disbelief. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try, but it may have an effect on how you engage with Hill’s story. Christmasland is a big deal.
4. If you’re hesitant, check the content warnings. Seriously. There’s no shame in saying, “this isn’t for me,” or, “not right now.” You can always come back later.
Bonus:
The audio book, narrated by Kate Mulgrew, is absolutely bonkers. 10/10. If you’re an audio person, you’re in for a treat.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gun violence
vane_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Animal death
haleea's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
some parts of this book rubbed me the wrong way and i think it definitely could have been shorter but overall i enjoyed it. i REALLY liked the bittersweet ending. was definitely fun to read over the holidays!!
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Rape, and Kidnapping