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princess_marie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Grief
haleybre's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Body horror, Confinement, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Death of parent, and Violence
minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
The Energy: Benevolent. Courageous. Sincere.
The Scene: 🇺🇸 The former mining town of Doubtful, Illinois, USA
The POVs: Four high school friends born and raised, plus the new kid who recently moved in with their police office father.
🎬 Tale-Telling: Cinematic scenes pulled me in and I could feel Doubtful’s gradual industrial decay and the friendship dynamics.
👥 Characters: The characters are the heart of the story and they felt relatable and real. Their individual backstories and the dynamics of their friend group added depth and suspense as they try to navigate the horrors and messes. At first I thought all their parents were conveniently out of the story but we learn why each of them has adults in their life that aren’t really wondering where they are, and some were sad reasons. My only issue was the characters felt more middle grade than high school senior, but I just read them that way and it worked.
🤓 Reader Role: We’re like a ghost hovering but privy to some thoughts and motivations. Jen worked as our eyes into the world since she’s the skeptic and asks the questions we are also wondering about.
🗺️ Ambiance: A blanket of atmospheric tension. Doubtful is a character too, depicted with such detail that I easily imagined it’s industrial, run-down charm. The supernatural quirks became kind of nostalgic (but still terrifying) and didn’t cross into campy. This story had a Stranger Things vibe to it.
🔥 Fuel: Who (or what) is the killer? How does the town's strangeness connect to the murders? The slow unraveling of these mysteries was punctuated by moments of horror, friendship, and the occasional flutter of young romance. I liked the suspense didn’t rely on bickering within the group. The last half of the story brings on the ‘feels’ horrors , so if you don’t care about the characters it may not work for you.
🚙 Journey: An engaging mix of horror and mystery, wrapped up in the authenticity of teenage life and the trials of growing up. The narrative takes its time to build up the suspense and lets you get fully invested in the characters before the real horrors kick in. The ending was rather convenient, but it wraps everything up with a touch of open-ended mystery.
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🐕 Howls: The police and Jen’s dad’s laissez-faire attitude towards the danger children face took me out of the story a bit (just a bit).
🐩 Tail Wags: The blend of horror, mystery, and authentic teenage angst and logic. The characters and their backstories. The atmosphere and vibes.
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Mood Reading Match-Up:
- Psychological grown-up Goosebumps with body horror and gore
- Monster or Man serial killer mystery
- Tight-knit what-would-you-do-for-your-friends feels (think Stranger Things style)
- Themes of friendship, community, coming of age, fate, free will, innocence, reality, dedication, character, fear, adversity, and empowerment.
Content Heads-Up: Body horror (mutilation, dismemberment). Missing child. Mental illness (paranoia, delusions, aggression). Parental neglect (emotional and physical). Loss of parents (in childhood). Loss of a sibling. Confinement (lost, trapped).
Rep: White and ambiguous Americans. EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). Cisgender. Lesbian/queer.
👀 Format: Kindle
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent
dev921's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Medical trauma, Confinement, Gore, Animal cruelty, Death, Murder, Animal death, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
tobydini's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Blood, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, and Stalking
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