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shawna_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Sacrifice was about loss. It was about giving up things you loved. It was about doing the things that were hardest, that scared you the most."
Chris's world turns upside down when her son dies in a tragic car crash. The grief overcomes her until one day a small cut on her finger drips blood onto his roadside memorial, changing her life. She suddenly starts seeing his ghost, but is it really him or some malevolent force?
Obviously I don't have children so it is difficult to relate to the main character in that aspect. However, the writing is very effective that you could feel Chris's grief through the pages and, as crazy as her actions are, how badly she just wants to have her son back in her life. The frustration, the sorrow, the self-inflicted pain she creates - you could really feel it all.
At only 110 pages, Hightower packs a punch, even though the pacing is a little slow. It is emotional and harrowing, but also creepy and horrifying thinking about what would happen next. And her neighbour, Dan, is the sweetest guy who really tried his best to understand her.
If you enjoy grief horror then you will like this novella!
Chris's world turns upside down when her son dies in a tragic car crash. The grief overcomes her until one day a small cut on her finger drips blood onto his roadside memorial, changing her life. She suddenly starts seeing his ghost, but is it really him or some malevolent force?
Obviously I don't have children so it is difficult to relate to the main character in that aspect. However, the writing is very effective that you could feel Chris's grief through the pages and, as crazy as her actions are, how badly she just wants to have her son back in her life. The frustration, the sorrow, the self-inflicted pain she creates - you could really feel it all.
At only 110 pages, Hightower packs a punch, even though the pacing is a little slow. It is emotional and harrowing, but also creepy and horrifying thinking about what would happen next. And her neighbour, Dan, is the sweetest guy who really tried his best to understand her.
If you enjoy grief horror then you will like this novella!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Self harm
meganrae047's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Infertility
lilgrimmy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Child death
bozzi1's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Spoiler Free Novella Review
•
“I wish I could take it from you, baby. I wish I could wave a wand and make it mine.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said those same words to my daughter over the years. Every time she’s sick, or hurt, or sad, I want it to be me instead.
•
Ugh, Crossroads…I thought I was prepared for this novella, but I was wrong. I usually read books without seeing reviews or even reading the synopsis, but that’s not always possible. I knew going in that Crossroads was a story about a mother whose child had died. Stephen King’s Pet Sematary and Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke are two of my favorite horror stories, so I wasn’t concerned about the subject matter. I think grief horror is one of the most effective horror sub genres because death is something any of us could face at anytime. Dying is a scary thought for many, but losing a loved one is often much more terrifying.
•
I didn’t realize the child in Crossroads was 20 years old when they died, the same age my daughter is right now. I didn’t realize Laurel Hightower could capture so many of the thoughts and feelings I’ve had as a mother and put them to paper so flawlessly. I was not prepared.
•
This story won’t be devastating to every reader. Some people will appreciate the writing and enjoy Crossroads in the same way I’ve done with other books in the past. I think every reader has at least one book that affected them more because of their life circumstances when they read it and this is one of mine. I have not experienced the trauma of losing my child to death, but Crossroads made me think of that devastating scenario in a way I never have before.
•
I identified with Chris, maybe more than I’ve connected with any other fictional character. I felt her pain, her frustration, and her resolve as my own. The character development was impressive, especially for a novella, and I have a particular soft spot for Dan. I thought the supernatural elements were well-executed and the ending was heartbreakingly perfect.
•
Parenting is about sacrifice. Crossroads takes every parent’s nightmare and explores how the basic parental instinct to sacrifice anything for your child could be used, twisted and turned into something darker than I’ve ever imagined, yet it felt all too realistic. I was not prepared, but I loved it…even as it broke me💔
•
TW: Death of a grown child, suicide.
•
“I wish I could take it from you, baby. I wish I could wave a wand and make it mine.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said those same words to my daughter over the years. Every time she’s sick, or hurt, or sad, I want it to be me instead.
•
Ugh, Crossroads…I thought I was prepared for this novella, but I was wrong. I usually read books without seeing reviews or even reading the synopsis, but that’s not always possible. I knew going in that Crossroads was a story about a mother whose child had died. Stephen King’s Pet Sematary and Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke are two of my favorite horror stories, so I wasn’t concerned about the subject matter. I think grief horror is one of the most effective horror sub genres because death is something any of us could face at anytime. Dying is a scary thought for many, but losing a loved one is often much more terrifying.
•
I didn’t realize the child in Crossroads was 20 years old when they died, the same age my daughter is right now. I didn’t realize Laurel Hightower could capture so many of the thoughts and feelings I’ve had as a mother and put them to paper so flawlessly. I was not prepared.
•
This story won’t be devastating to every reader. Some people will appreciate the writing and enjoy Crossroads in the same way I’ve done with other books in the past. I think every reader has at least one book that affected them more because of their life circumstances when they read it and this is one of mine. I have not experienced the trauma of losing my child to death, but Crossroads made me think of that devastating scenario in a way I never have before.
•
I identified with Chris, maybe more than I’ve connected with any other fictional character. I felt her pain, her frustration, and her resolve as my own. The character development was impressive, especially for a novella, and I have a particular soft spot for Dan. I thought the supernatural elements were well-executed and the ending was heartbreakingly perfect.
•
Parenting is about sacrifice. Crossroads takes every parent’s nightmare and explores how the basic parental instinct to sacrifice anything for your child could be used, twisted and turned into something darker than I’ve ever imagined, yet it felt all too realistic. I was not prepared, but I loved it…even as it broke me💔
•
TW: Death of a grown child, suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Grief
leahrosereads's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
First and fair warning, I would definitely look at the trigger warnings for this one. Here are the main ones I noted: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, self harm, child death.
My eyes didn't stay dry for long while reading this book. Chris's pain of losing her son is so palpable. And so is her love for him. This is a fantastic, horrifying novella. The writing is excellent, and the story instantly sucked me in. I couldn't stop reading.
My eyes didn't stay dry for long while reading this book. Chris's pain of losing her son is so palpable. And so is her love for him. This is a fantastic, horrifying novella. The writing is excellent, and the story instantly sucked me in. I couldn't stop reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Self harm
lauriereadslohf's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What’s there to say about this book that hasn’t already been said hundreds of times over by people far more eloquent than myself? I guess I can say that the thought of reading it scared me because when so many people promise a heart-crushing read my expectations sometimes ruin the experience for me. I was more worried about being let down than I was about any of the content I might find inside the book. And there’s some heavy stuff in this book. If you’re feeling low you might want to save this book for a day when you’re better equipped to get through it. Or keep a lighter book handy to read in-between chapters which is what I did because I don’t allow myself to sit with grief and suicide ideation for very long. It’s too easy to fall into a hole.
Anyhow, now that I’ve finished I can safely say that I was not let down by my high expectations. This story is a study in suffocating, all-consuming grief. It’s filled with desperation and crushing pain and you will have to sit in that pain from beginning to end. It’s about the lengths one woman will go to spend just another moment with her deceased son even if that moment is less than ideal, fleeting, and comes with a great cost attached. It’s emotionally grueling. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it, as if I ever do, haha. So get yourself ready to SUFFER as we have suffered before you!
I love the way these characters are written. They’re real and they’re flawed and can I also say how refreshing it is to read about men who aren’t dicks?! Men who are kind and loving and caring and sensitive and thoughtful and supportive. We need more of that in our books. Less dickery and more likeability, please. I’m so sick of men being villainous creatures so much of the time. I know some of them are born that way but not ALL of them!
Crossroads is a fantastic piece of bleak fiction with some intense moments of body horror, totally worthy of all five stars. When you’re finished you’ll be left feeling the pain of having salt thrown in all of your bits that have just been brutally sliced open by the story. I don’t want to say too much more and there really isn’t a point because it’ll spoil the book for you. Just read it, you know, if you want to.
Anyhow, now that I’ve finished I can safely say that I was not let down by my high expectations. This story is a study in suffocating, all-consuming grief. It’s filled with desperation and crushing pain and you will have to sit in that pain from beginning to end. It’s about the lengths one woman will go to spend just another moment with her deceased son even if that moment is less than ideal, fleeting, and comes with a great cost attached. It’s emotionally grueling. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it, as if I ever do, haha. So get yourself ready to SUFFER as we have suffered before you!
I love the way these characters are written. They’re real and they’re flawed and can I also say how refreshing it is to read about men who aren’t dicks?! Men who are kind and loving and caring and sensitive and thoughtful and supportive. We need more of that in our books. Less dickery and more likeability, please. I’m so sick of men being villainous creatures so much of the time. I know some of them are born that way but not ALL of them!
Crossroads is a fantastic piece of bleak fiction with some intense moments of body horror, totally worthy of all five stars. When you’re finished you’ll be left feeling the pain of having salt thrown in all of your bits that have just been brutally sliced open by the story. I don’t want to say too much more and there really isn’t a point because it’ll spoil the book for you. Just read it, you know, if you want to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Self harm
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
whittybooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Self harm, and Grief
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