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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audio. Truly a 3.5 but I didn’t have the heart to make it show up as a 3. What an interesting tale that I never would’ve chosen myself, but I’m thankful for friends who push my boundaries! Definitely recommend if you love the vibes of Stephen King!
You had me at “Friday Night Lights”.
Pitched as a cross between the fantastic NBC drama and “Twin Peaks’, @john.fram made this an absolute must read for me.
Bentley Texas loves it’s high school football more than anything. It’s church to this town, and its players are revered like gods. But when dreamy quarterback Dylan Whitley goes missing, his estranged brother Joel returns home from Manhattan to find out what happened, and confront the demons of his past that shattered his youth.
This is a town rotting with secrets, shifty eyes, tight lips, and double crossing that makes the kids from “Elite” look like bratty toddlers. But Fram’s book, as fun as the ride is (and trust me the mystery unraveling is page turning fun) has bigger and heavier themes at play here some of which I won’t reveal to avoid spoilers but include, homophobia, racism, as well as the agonizing pressure of belonging and loneliness. And yes, there’s a horror element that really doesn’t rise up until the packed climax of the story, and if you’re someone looking for a true horror novel, this is not that. However if you like your horror lite, with a great mystery to wrap around it, this could be the book for you. Hard to believe this was his first book, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Pitched as a cross between the fantastic NBC drama and “Twin Peaks’, @john.fram made this an absolute must read for me.
Bentley Texas loves it’s high school football more than anything. It’s church to this town, and its players are revered like gods. But when dreamy quarterback Dylan Whitley goes missing, his estranged brother Joel returns home from Manhattan to find out what happened, and confront the demons of his past that shattered his youth.
This is a town rotting with secrets, shifty eyes, tight lips, and double crossing that makes the kids from “Elite” look like bratty toddlers. But Fram’s book, as fun as the ride is (and trust me the mystery unraveling is page turning fun) has bigger and heavier themes at play here some of which I won’t reveal to avoid spoilers but include, homophobia, racism, as well as the agonizing pressure of belonging and loneliness. And yes, there’s a horror element that really doesn’t rise up until the packed climax of the story, and if you’re someone looking for a true horror novel, this is not that. However if you like your horror lite, with a great mystery to wrap around it, this could be the book for you. Hard to believe this was his first book, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
A little bit of an oversimplification, but this felt like Friday Night Lights mixed with Twin Peaks and written by Gillian Flynn. All around a great debut novel that has Fram on my future watch lists for what he does next.
The book is not completely without faults as I feel the last hundred pages or so can seem to drag at times as more and more issues just kind of pop up. I also think that same hundred pages takes a bit more suspension of disbelief than the rest of the book. But overall this was a thrilling read that I devoured in two days.
The book is not completely without faults as I feel the last hundred pages or so can seem to drag at times as more and more issues just kind of pop up. I also think that same hundred pages takes a bit more suspension of disbelief than the rest of the book. But overall this was a thrilling read that I devoured in two days.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This started as one thing and totally became another. It started as a "Friday Night Lights" esque football story mixed with a mysterious crime, but became....I don't even know. Shit got weird.
Overall, I liked it. Good characters, captivating writing. I liked that the main character is gay, because there needs to be more representation....but then it became a big part of the plot. And then things got weirder and weirder, and I just kind of think if you want to make sexual orientation something normalized in a book, you don't make it a central point in a super fucked up horror novel.
Overall, I liked it. Good characters, captivating writing. I liked that the main character is gay, because there needs to be more representation....but then it became a big part of the plot. And then things got weirder and weirder, and I just kind of think if you want to make sexual orientation something normalized in a book, you don't make it a central point in a super fucked up horror novel.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Death
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
The ending was what pushed me to 5 stars! It crushed me and those last few pages were so bittersweet. As a whole, I was totally invested in the mystery and the characters and it was never slow or boring throughout. The last half made it difficult to put down! I loved the subtle elements of horror and the use of foreshadowing. I do think the narrative style, switching between multiple viewpoints, could be hard to follow or annoying for some but I personally had no problems keeping track of each character. My only issue with it was that I liked Joel and Clark so much that whenever we left their perspective I just wanted to get back to them. This didn't bother me too much however so I still HIGHLY recommend. I just know this book will be one I think about often
mysterious
slow-paced