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emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I truly do not have a lot of good things to say about this book. The writing style was bad. There was so much telling and not showing, and it was flat, repetitive, and poorly edited. It completely turned me off the story. Apart from the first chapter, the plot is incredibly slow to start - as in, it doesn’t get going until you’re 1/3 of the way through which is an age for a thriller. And the book doesn’t even use that time to build side characters, so that as a reader you aren’t connected to the victims, nor do you see anyone as a compelling suspect, when the plot does get going. To top it off, the reveal was so anticlimactic. Sam just says who the murderer is when building up to a mask reveal would have been way more satisfying and slasher-like. And when his accusation is confirmed, the climax action lasts for two pages and then everything is over. Where was the final thrill?? Also, the killer is someone who is barely fleshed out as a character, and there is zero signposting to foreshadow their involvement.
The romance was dull with no chemistry. I honestly thought the LI was the murderer for a while as I couldn’t comprehend why such a poor romance was included. Also, the dynamic was fresher/RA which is something I personally find weird asf.
We get a kind of epilogue chapter which enraged me. Essentially there’s yet another killer targeting Sam, but instead of Sam being in-character (not to mention REALISTIC) and being frightened by this prospect, he’s cocky and confident to the point where he smiles over getting a death threat. This made zero sense for Sam’s character seeing as he spent the whole novel understandably deeply traumatised from his encounter with a killer. It just felt like a lazy way to write the novel out.
I do have a couple of positives among this sea of negatives. The first is that the book moderately entertained me in the end. The second is that having third person chapters where the killer targets a new victim was a good choice for the book. I could finally get a glimpse into who the victims were as characters, and it added some much needed tension.
Graphic: Stalking, Blood, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit, Cancer, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Major: PTSD Minor: divorce, loss of a loved onepey333's review
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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking
Minor: Cancer, Child death, and Sexual content
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review
I just couldn't get into this book. I don't know if this is because I was reading the physical book or not.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Moderate: Stalking
amengels's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC
Sam wants to leave his past of surviving a massacre behind him as he goes off to college. He wants to live a normal live and join a fraternity. But when his soon-to-be fraternity brothers start getting murdered by a masked killer, he knows he can't sit back and watch.
I think that The Pledge is everything you want in a YA horror novel. It was fast paced. It kept me gripped the whole time. And it had an ending that left me wanting more. Now, did the entire novel leave me wanting more, a little. I wish there was a little more development in the characters. I also wish that there were clues leading to the twist ending. Maybe other people were able to see to end, but I don't think there was a way to guess.
Sam wants to leave his past of surviving a massacre behind him as he goes off to college. He wants to live a normal live and join a fraternity. But when his soon-to-be fraternity brothers start getting murdered by a masked killer, he knows he can't sit back and watch.
I think that The Pledge is everything you want in a YA horror novel. It was fast paced. It kept me gripped the whole time. And it had an ending that left me wanting more. Now, did the entire novel leave me wanting more, a little. I wish there was a little more development in the characters. I also wish that there were clues leading to the twist ending. Maybe other people were able to see to end, but I don't think there was a way to guess.
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Murder, Gore, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
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