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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I picked this debut up from Book of the Month and was so excited to devour this story.
"Sign Here" follows a few different points of view, but there are two main stories going on. The first storyline is Peyote's. Peyote is a man stuck working on the fifth level of hell. He has worked his way up from the first level and is entirely motivated to work his way out of hell and return to his old life. The fifth level of hell deals with contracts, and the employees are tasked with finding individuals on earth who want to sell their souls (I mean who REALLY reads all of the terms and conditions). Peyote has been working for years to get the entire Harrison family to sign their life away, and he only needs one more signature to have a complete set. Enter the Harrisons: the second main storyline. The Harrisons seem like the perfect family, but they are all hiding secrets that could tear the family apart. Every year they go to the family cabin for the majority of the summer break. This year, the teenage daughter, Mickey, is allowed to invite her new friend Ruth to come along. Everything seems to be going as good as can be expected, until Ruth becomes the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
I was kind of expecting for this story to feel more chaotic than it did because there are so many different points of view we are following, and the timeline jumps around a lot. We get the present timeline as well as the timeline from when the parents were teenagers. There was a tragic murder of a beloved girl when they were teenagers and the father's brother was tried and convicted of said murder.
While Peyote is working in hell, he is tasked with helping the new recruit to the fifth level: Calamity. Cal's character is entirely erratic and extremely deceptive, which for a person who works in hell is good, but as a character to read about it was too much for me. She is wild and a great counterpart to Peyote's dull office demeanor, but she is also off the rails.
I think this story could have been stronger if we only got Peyote's perspective. His story was what I was most invested in because the Harrisons are just a bunch of bad people who want to think they are right. I do appreciate getting to see Peyote's "set" signing their life away and seeing what drove them to that point, but I think with the technology in hell and how Peyote monitors people, we still could have gotten that story with their points of view.
Overall, I was impressed with this story, and I cannot wait to see more from Claudia Lux in the future.
"Sign Here" follows a few different points of view, but there are two main stories going on. The first storyline is Peyote's. Peyote is a man stuck working on the fifth level of hell. He has worked his way up from the first level and is entirely motivated to work his way out of hell and return to his old life. The fifth level of hell deals with contracts, and the employees are tasked with finding individuals on earth who want to sell their souls (I mean who REALLY reads all of the terms and conditions). Peyote has been working for years to get the entire Harrison family to sign their life away, and he only needs one more signature to have a complete set. Enter the Harrisons: the second main storyline. The Harrisons seem like the perfect family, but they are all hiding secrets that could tear the family apart. Every year they go to the family cabin for the majority of the summer break. This year, the teenage daughter, Mickey, is allowed to invite her new friend Ruth to come along. Everything seems to be going as good as can be expected, until Ruth becomes the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
I was kind of expecting for this story to feel more chaotic than it did because there are so many different points of view we are following, and the timeline jumps around a lot. We get the present timeline as well as the timeline from when the parents were teenagers. There was a tragic murder of a beloved girl when they were teenagers and the father's brother was tried and convicted of said murder.
While Peyote is working in hell, he is tasked with helping the new recruit to the fifth level: Calamity. Cal's character is entirely erratic and extremely deceptive, which for a person who works in hell is good, but as a character to read about it was too much for me. She is wild and a great counterpart to Peyote's dull office demeanor, but she is also off the rails.
I think this story could have been stronger if we only got Peyote's perspective. His story was what I was most invested in because the Harrisons are just a bunch of bad people who want to think they are right. I do appreciate getting to see Peyote's "set" signing their life away and seeing what drove them to that point, but I think with the technology in hell and how Peyote monitors people, we still could have gotten that story with their points of view.
Overall, I was impressed with this story, and I cannot wait to see more from Claudia Lux in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Stalking, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Pedophilia and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content and Cancer
therevallison's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Pedophilia
mondovertigo's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Torture, and Self harm
Minor: Eating disorder, Drug abuse, and Cancer
casscal's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I am so conflicted on how I feel about this book and this rating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Eating disorder and Pedophilia
Minor: Pregnancy
wharah's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Pedophilia
lightlessxo's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Infidelity
Moderate: Body shaming and Pedophilia
outtoexist's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Weird sexualization of a traumatized kid and just truly mediocre writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia
haylzno's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
WOW.
I absolutely devoured this book. Finished in barely a day. It was super fast paced, multiple POVs and short chapters that keep you saying "okay one more chapter"
I thought the author dropped some really nice hints throughout the whole thing. Some twists I guessed some I didn't but it kept me guessing the wholeeeee time. I loved (most) of the characters and the dynamic between Hell and Earth. I enjoyed the world building and found myself chuckling at far too many of the "hells" experienced in Hell (she kinda nailed that corporate office life LOL).
There's one aspect of the book I didn't like but I'm going to hide it in a following spoiler warning just incase. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it
SPOILER:
My biggest peeve is the pedophilia.... I don't understand why that was included. Did it make Silas an easy character to hate? Hell yea. But wtf was the point of it? I think it easily could have been taken out and wouldn't have changed the story at all. And the comment about his OWN DAUGHTERS LEGS?!?! No. Straight to jail. Why was that even necessary
I absolutely devoured this book. Finished in barely a day. It was super fast paced, multiple POVs and short chapters that keep you saying "okay one more chapter"
I thought the author dropped some really nice hints throughout the whole thing. Some twists I guessed some I didn't but it kept me guessing the wholeeeee time. I loved (most) of the characters and the dynamic between Hell and Earth. I enjoyed the world building and found myself chuckling at far too many of the "hells" experienced in Hell (she kinda nailed that corporate office life LOL).
There's one aspect of the book I didn't like but I'm going to hide it in a following spoiler warning just incase. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it
SPOILER:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, and Child abuse
Minor: Abandonment
wai's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I figured I would like this book, but it still really surprised me. A lot of twists and turns that I thought I had figured out but turned out to be wrong about. It keeps you guessing until the end. With very intriguing world building around Hell and selling your soul, and dark humor, it's worth the read if this is your thing. Please mind the content warnings as it does contain many triggering concepts and descriptions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Murder, Self harm, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Grief, Cursing, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Blood, Suicide, Eating disorder, Bullying, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy and Pedophilia
cassroberts89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
Okay, not quite the humorous book I thought it was going into it. I still loved it! The world-building was phenomenal for such a quick read. Short chapters keep the pace moving very nicely, which is good because any slower and it would be hard to keep up with the very different storylines. Cal’s story/background was just a tad weaker than all the others, but it paved the way for a great ending. Be careful not to read too many reviews and spoil some of the twisty bits; they come out of left field and are very well done!
Be warned, there are a few uncomfortable parts. My main qualm was with the borderline-ped behavior of Silas. I understand the why after finishing the book, but it’s still icky and I don’t think it was wholly necessary for the story to unfold the way it did.
4.25 stars ⭐️
Be warned, there are a few uncomfortable parts. My main qualm was with the borderline-ped behavior of Silas. I understand the why after finishing the book, but it’s still icky and I don’t think it was wholly necessary for the story to unfold the way it did.
4.25 stars ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, and Self harm
Minor: Pedophilia and Suicide