Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Hide by Kiersten White

36 reviews

ecn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

I originally wanted to read this book bc a reoccurring nightmare I had as a child was being chased/having to hide in an amusement park. I thought this was going to be SO tense and scare me but it was more of a mystery/thriller than a dark horror. I really liked it, but it stopped being tense about halfway through and then became a race to the finish line type of story. I wish more of the story was built in the hiding and the terror of being hunted instead of the why (maybe if it was longer?)

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connorjdaley's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted this book since DelRey first posted the cover reveal. I thought it looked so cool and the premise was promising. This was my pick in a bookstagram giveaway! 

This is a fourteen person, seven day hide-and-seek competition. Two people can get out a day and there is only one single winner. With $50,000 on the line, even with the game running from sunup to sundown daily, who wouldn’t be enticed into playing? Of course nothing is as it seems, there’s the horror. 

At only 240 pages, this is a rather short one. Yet it still felt like kind of a slog to me. The story takes a strange amount of time to get going, the characters’ backgrounds play so heavily into the story and yet most of them are pointless or even unbelievable. The exposition takes away almost all of the creepiness…and let me tell you, this could have been a really creepy story. 

The last section of the book though I really did enjoy (although even that felt like it went on for a little too long) which saved it. Once the truth is out the novel kind of goes balls-to-the-walls for the last 40 or so pages. Still in no way creepy or scary, but at the least I was entertained and interested to see what happened. 

Kind of into it, but I didn’t love it.

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corncake's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I want to start by saying I really enjoyed the premise, and the themes of this book. However the multiple points of view and all the character names were very confusing. Maybe it would be better if I wasn’t listening to the audiobook, but I found myself quite overwhelmed when trying to remember each character and their story, especially for the first half of the novel. It definitely took away from the atmospheric spookiness and dread for me personally. But if you don’t struggle with multiple POV, I think this book would be a fun ride especially if you like character-driven reads, or are craving a supernatural “Squid Game” if it was written for teens. 

Which brings me to my next thought - this was not a super scary book. I was intrigued, but never really spooked out or horrified by anything, and maybe that’s just cause I have read more scary novels. So for my fellow spooky readers: come for the eerie vibes, the characters, and the lore - but don’t come into this to be scared this spooky season.

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bookishgoob's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Holy cow! What a ride this was. A perfect fast paced summer horror book! If you watched & liked “Fear street” on netflix, i highly recommend this book! 

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gm_vak's review against another edition

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

3.0


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ofpagesandparagraphs's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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atlas_shruggs's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

I've always loved media featuring deadly games, so I knew immediately that I would like this book.
It follows Mack, a young homeless woman with a tragic past, and thirteen other people as they enter a hide and go seek competition in an abandoned amusement park. Of course the game turns deadly, and supernatural, and everything goes to hell.
The writing was good, not revolutionary but well written, the plot was gripping and intriguing. My only issue at first was remembering who everyone was, I ended up writing it on a post-it and sticking it inside the cover, which really helped.
I could totally see this book being adapted into a movie or TV show, and despite being an absolute scaredy cat I would force myself to watch it.
I also didn't know that this book was queer, so that was definitely a pleasant surprise, as well as it having disability rep.
Of course heavy body horror trigger warnings, but if you're looking for a book that feels like the Hunger Games but in an amusement park, then I would definitely recommend picking this one up. 

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amandarin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Great story - super easy to follow because of the lovely writing style. Cast of characters is diverse and varied - there is someone for everyone to relate to. Loved the little reveals as the book went on and going back and re-reading sections with the new information just made it so much cooler. Eg:
this last name meant that this person was connected to this person.
Ending was satisfying without enough room for a potential sequel. 

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abbiexhope's review against another edition

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

4.0


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halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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

Time to sprinkle in some spooky season reading💛I ran across this title at Woodman's and was captivated by the rich golden yellow cover. Along with the haunting amusement park. 

Fourteen strangers are invited to play the game hide-and-seek, the winner receiving $50,000. 

This reminded me of the movie Ready or Not, where the bride is sacrificed in their game of hide and seek. 

Except, well, the players do not know whom is doing the seeking. The rules are vague, they sign a contract that doesn't hold the hosts liable for anything that happens to the players. 

The premise of this game taking place at an abandoned amusement park is so cool, with so many places to hide. While the sun is up the players are to remain hidden and can only come out when the sun is setting. 

Hide captivated my attention from the beginning, though the jumping around from character's flashbacks to the current time period... did keep throwing me off.

 Their temporary guide, Linda, even throws in a fun quest of locating a leather bound book and returning it to her for a prize.

 I knew there had to be more to it besides a "reality tv" game of hide-and-seek. 

All of the questions and mystery are eventually answered and makes a lot of sense....a lot of twisted f'ed up sense. 

This is one of the most morbid and on edge hide-and-seek thrillers. I would listen to this audiobook again. 

Listening to many characters perspectives is a plus, getting to know them individually and eventually how they are all tied together.

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