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mckay_524's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
murdalannd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pageturningpaige's review
3.0
I think this could have been shorter but I was speeding through it to know what actually happens at the end. It was very suspenseful and I was trying to figure out if anyone else was in on the whole thing and what her backstory truly was.
a_libraryghost's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I started this book wanting a twisty but easy to read thriller after being in a reading slump, and that’s exactly what I got. In some ways it exceeded my expectations, mostly it met them and in a couple ways I was disappointed.
As others have pointed out there are a lot of twists though despite this most of them are pretty predictable. There was one twist I was surprised it took so long to reveal because it seemed very obvious very quickly. Though I will say while I was right about almost everything, I was made to second guess my assumptions. The two major twists directly linked to Emma were the ones I didn’t see coming and definitely were the most compelling.
In fact, Emma in general was the best part of this story. So often when reading or watching horror you do not care whether the character lives or dies, or you might want them to die for being so stupid, but I was rooting for Emma (and Laika!) the whole time and she is really what kept me reading.
I had two big issues with the book. One was the invincibility of the characters likeHoward is hit by a van, has his hand struck by a hammer, and is stabbed in the chest with a katana…AND CAN STILL WALK?! and the other is the laughably stereotypically the way the villain is depicted. Like the author pulled him straight from a reddit meme
Neckbeard? ✅
Fedora? ✅
Literally says “I guess nice guys do finish last”? ✅
A FUCKING KATANA?! ✅
I think Adams tried to subvert it a bit and give him some more depth but it when the nice guy line came I just had to laugh and it felt a bit like I was reading something straight on reddit.
I do agree the ending dragged on but I liked it and was pretty happy with the outcome.
As others have pointed out there are a lot of twists though despite this most of them are pretty predictable. There was one twist I was surprised it took so long to reveal because it seemed very obvious very quickly. Though I will say while I was right about almost everything, I was made to second guess my assumptions. The two major twists directly linked to Emma were the ones I didn’t see coming and definitely were the most compelling.
In fact, Emma in general was the best part of this story. So often when reading or watching horror you do not care whether the character lives or dies, or you might want them to die for being so stupid, but I was rooting for Emma (and Laika!) the whole time and she is really what kept me reading.
I had two big issues with the book. One was the invincibility of the characters like
Neckbeard? ✅
Fedora? ✅
Literally says “I guess nice guys do finish last”? ✅
A FUCKING KATANA?! ✅
I think Adams tried to subvert it a bit and give him some more depth but it when the nice guy line came I just had to laugh and it felt a bit like I was reading something straight on reddit.
I do agree the ending dragged on but I liked it and was pretty happy with the outcome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Infertility
Minor: Mass/school shootings
maeriaen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
meghansometimesreads's review
3.0
Let me first say I’m going to be speaking of two different authors. When I refer as the author as just “the author,” I mean the character in the books. I’ll refer to the actual author by his name.
Taylor Adams wrote the author in this book very well…as in the author was extremely cringy and reminded me of those kids who ran like anime characters and talking about katanas and other Japanese culture like they were experts.
I will back up a previous persons review/spoiler that the dog does in fact survive so if you are thinking of not reading this because of that I will say it’s safe so pick it up.
I will also say that I pretty much guess who the killer was although it was between two characters. I personally thought that this was like a lower stake thriller…like I laughed at a few parts and it didn’t have my anxiety going through the roof.
Moral of this story is any reader/reviewers fear…don’t trash talk a book for fear that the author will stalk you.
Taylor Adams wrote the author in this book very well…as in the author was extremely cringy and reminded me of those kids who ran like anime characters and talking about katanas and other Japanese culture like they were experts.
I will back up a previous persons review/spoiler that the dog does in fact survive so if you are thinking of not reading this because of that I will say it’s safe so pick it up.
I will also say that I pretty much guess who the killer was although it was between two characters. I personally thought that this was like a lower stake thriller…like I laughed at a few parts and it didn’t have my anxiety going through the roof.
Moral of this story is any reader/reviewers fear…don’t trash talk a book for fear that the author will stalk you.