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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
I miss when Holly acted less neurotypical and couldn't stop telling people movie facts. Oh well.
i lowkey loved the authors note attached to this. reading an early sk at the same time as a new sk is really wild, its crazy especially to see how far his depiction of women has truly come. also love that this one has zero supernatural elements, its just fucking insane people. and in this universe w these characters supernatural shit has happened, which makes this insanity more poignant (as is addressed at the end)
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked that it wasn't a who-dunnit-story and we got to see what was going on on "both sides".
I haven't read many King books before and definitely not the one's where Holly was a character, but I got this audiobook from my local library and listened to it in the car and let me tell you, I definitely was entertained during my rides! It was a solid thriller crime story, could've been a little more gory in my opinion, but I had some interesting stares from strangers already when I had to stop at red lights with my windows downđ
And I know that it's realistic because the main story is set in 2021 but the corona mentions all over this book send me into a flashback, although I assume from how King wrote this, I like his view on the matter at least.
So just be prepared to confront yourself with life during the Corona epidemic again.
I haven't read many King books before and definitely not the one's where Holly was a character, but I got this audiobook from my local library and listened to it in the car and let me tell you, I definitely was entertained during my rides! It was a solid thriller crime story, could've been a little more gory in my opinion, but I had some interesting stares from strangers already when I had to stop at red lights with my windows downđ
And I know that it's realistic because the main story is set in 2021 but the corona mentions all over this book send me into a flashback, although I assume from how King wrote this, I like his view on the matter at least.
So just be prepared to confront yourself with life during the Corona epidemic again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Gruesomely horrifying. I have loved holly as a character in whole Mr Mercedes series and had high hopes for this story and it achieved them all. I love the style where we know what the âbad guyâ is doing and what the detective is doing and the suspense that the reader feels because they know! I also love how realistic the plot was. It takes away the supernatural elements of horror and dives straight into the horror of a normal seeming human. This was one of those books where I could put it down but also couldnât sleep when I had to put it down.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.25 stars
A great book about serial killers, a truly unique lovable character, detailed well fleshed out side characters, and a plot that turned my stomach inside out. I loved it. The only reason this book isnât 5 stars is the slowness and there no plot twists like I usually like. I need more Holly books!
A great book about serial killers, a truly unique lovable character, detailed well fleshed out side characters, and a plot that turned my stomach inside out. I loved it. The only reason this book isnât 5 stars is the slowness and there no plot twists like I usually like. I need more Holly books!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this was just okay. i didnât particularly enjoy the writing but then again i donât actually read stephen king for his prose. and in regards to telling a tense and dark story he did at least kind of succeed with this one.
âhollyâ isnât a âwho-done-itâ-type mystery but king still manages to keep the tension up and have you continue reading⌠albeit somewhat reluctantly at times. there are quite a few references to past appearances of holly, the character (and other related characters) and since i havenât read âmr mercedesâ this was slightly confusing at first and became quite annoying as the book went on (i recognise this might be on me, but since the book is not set up or marketed as a sequel i feel justified in my critique).
the frequent mentions of covid also felt somewhat alienating, though this just comes down to personal preference â i suppose it just felt strange being confronted with it again.
when it comes to characters, i really didnât care very much about any of them, which obviously lowered the stakes quite a bit for me as the reader.
apart from all that, my gripes with this book pretty much just come down to the writing style, which is honestly the main reason for the comparatively low rating. i couldnât get over how clunky it felt and over the amount of unnecessary details, that were clumsily integrated and didnât contribute anything to the story. the few comedic remarks werenât actually funny (honestly, iâm not even sure they were meant to be⌠i just couldnât take them seriously) and i cringed frequently (and viscerally).
yes, i said i donât read stephen king novels for the prose, i read them for the plot; but this one was actively hard to read.
all in all, not for me.
âhollyâ isnât a âwho-done-itâ-type mystery but king still manages to keep the tension up and have you continue reading⌠albeit somewhat reluctantly at times. there are quite a few references to past appearances of holly, the character (and other related characters) and since i havenât read âmr mercedesâ this was slightly confusing at first and became quite annoying as the book went on (i recognise this might be on me, but since the book is not set up or marketed as a sequel i feel justified in my critique).
the frequent mentions of covid also felt somewhat alienating, though this just comes down to personal preference â i suppose it just felt strange being confronted with it again.
when it comes to characters, i really didnât care very much about any of them, which obviously lowered the stakes quite a bit for me as the reader.
apart from all that, my gripes with this book pretty much just come down to the writing style, which is honestly the main reason for the comparatively low rating. i couldnât get over how clunky it felt and over the amount of unnecessary details, that were clumsily integrated and didnât contribute anything to the story. the few comedic remarks werenât actually funny (honestly, iâm not even sure they were meant to be⌠i just couldnât take them seriously) and i cringed frequently (and viscerally).
yes, i said i donât read stephen king novels for the prose, i read them for the plot; but this one was actively hard to read.
all in all, not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Dementia
Minor: Cancer, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality