Reviews

I wasn't expecting much from this book. I mostly read it because of an inside joke with some friends (we used to write stories about three siblings with the last name Savage that were involved in the drug business, much like Ben, Chon, and O are, just minus all the sex obviously).

I didn't expect this novel to be so good and the ending was fantastic. The plot is fast paced and very well thought-out. I thoroughly enjoyed the three main characters and their interactions. There were moments that had me laughing out loud ("Do you know anything about Jesus' life, Mom? Read a biography or anything?" "Yes, darling, the Bible.") and moments that had me so consumed that I didn't realize hours had passed.

The reason why I didn't give this 5 stars? The writing style. The constant switches in the way it is written (from paragraph to script to poem then back) was kind of "strange". The constant use of slang I've never heard of and the abbreviations that were mostly pointless were an overkill. Luckily the plot was able to stick out enough that I could look past it all and enjoy the novel.

I feel like Savages is a novel worth trying out. I will probably be watching the movie at some point (curious to see how this translate into film and I will gladly watch any film that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is in) and getting my hands on The Kings of Cool.

elturko64's review against another edition

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4.0

I felt like this book was written for me. Imagine Big Lebowski mixed with Breaking Bad or Narcos. Winsolow somehow manages to blend goofy comedy with dark crime and he does it really well. My only complaint is that the story near the very end of the book felt a little weak. I just wasn't a fan of it. Besides that though this is a warped, crime story that had me laughing and had me at the edge of my seat until the very end. Definitely recommend.

needfulreads's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

2.0

Racial slurs were not needed. The author doesnt know how to write female characters, the dialogue for Ophelia was so ridiculous.

k_b00kish's review against another edition

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2.0

Gritty story about drug war set in Southern California/Mexico border

shawntowner's review against another edition

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1.0

A novel with a brilliantly pithy first chapter ("Fuck you.") that quickly goes downhill. The plot, an ex-mercenary pot dealer must deal with the kidnapping of his friend by a Mexican drug cartel, is timely and intriguing, but the author's prose is ridiculously awful. It's the writing of a unhip man trying desperately to sound hip. A person isn't missing, he's 404. A guy doesn't have a bad attitude, he has a 'baditude.' Unfortunately, the entire novel is written in this kind of pseduo-slang tripe.

corrompido's review against another edition

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1.0

It is probably wrong for me to review this book as I only read 5 pages. I will say that I liked the first page... the next 4 were so bad that I gave up. Fully willing to believe that a great book exists in the remaining ~300 pages, but I couldn't handle all of the "cute" abbreviations used in the first few pages and decided it was not worth my time.

mariannika's review against another edition

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5.0

I really enjoyed this one. It was fast-paced and thrilling.

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