Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Joyland by Stephen King

12 reviews

shyleek's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

This was a very well written story! You will forget that you don't work for the carnival while you delve into a shitstorm who-dunnit story. There's mystery, heartbreak, joy, and a sick child but it all blends together perfectly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Terminal illness

lay_kone's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Rape

carlytenille's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts

nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Violence, Classism, Death, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

aleesquer's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? No

3.0

Pros:

• I love a good coming of age story
• Ghosts
• Setting (amusement park). Very involved in learning the new lingo and how to work there. Immersive and interesting

Cons:

• Predictable (had very few genuine surprises)
• The way the background characters of color are treated is... not ideal.
• Boy howdy, does King not write women well. Jesus christ. 
• That one "gallant men rarely getting pussy" line 🤮

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Rape, Sexual content, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Death, Grief, and Medical content

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A quick-ish murder mystery with dark undertones. 

I really enjoyed this one, as per usual for King it is heavily character driven, until the last 50 pages when everything happens. We get to really know the main character, Dev, we spend time with him and get down into his soul. We follow him the summer he really grew up, even though he's 21, and watch him go from a whiney infatuated boy to a strong and kind man. A wonderful small theme park, with the colorful cast of characters that brings in, serves as a delightful background. But as per standard, things arent what they seem. A touch of ghost, a touch of sociopath, and a good ol' southern woman with a gun. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Cursing, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Ableism, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Rape

jane_moriarty's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Terminal illness, Death, Murder, and Sexual content

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Headline: 21-year-old man loses his virginity to a cougar in order to get over his college girlfriend he never had sex with. 🤣

I loved the setting of this book. We follow college student Devin Jones as he finds a summer job in North Carolina to work as a carny. In typical King fashion, things do not go as planned, and Devin finds himself following the threads of a long-ago secret. Nothing too, too crazy happened; I was expecting more twists but this was still a satisfying mystery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Chronic illness, Child death, Terminal illness, Gun violence, and Murder

stampest's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Grief, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Gore, Pregnancy, Ableism, and Child death

Minor: Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

mithy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

• 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Child death, and Chronic illness

Minor: Excrement, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Death, and Murder