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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Holly seems to be a different person in each of the books I have read with her in it. Maybe this is supposed to be character development but it doesn't seem connected.
No suspense. A bunch of throwaway characters murdered. A gross out premise revealed immediately.
Horrornography.
The story still flows enough that I didn't abandon it.
No suspense. A bunch of throwaway characters murdered. A gross out premise revealed immediately.
Horrornography.
The story still flows enough that I didn't abandon it.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What makes this book for me is the character of Holly and the rest of her comrades. One of King’s only female protagonists, who has an excellent character arc throughout the series of books.
DNF'd at 20%
I have been going back and forth trying to decide to DNF this book or not, I feel like I'm forcing myself to keep trying to read it, and I'm just not enjoying this one unfortunately.
I'm not ready to re-live the pandemic through a book, this was written during the height of covid so there is HEAVY talk of vaccines, sickness, death and politics.
I also really do not enjoy reading from a racist character's POV, so that was another thing I was struggling with while reading this book. Hopefully someone takes out the old couple at some point in this book.
I have been going back and forth trying to decide to DNF this book or not, I feel like I'm forcing myself to keep trying to read it, and I'm just not enjoying this one unfortunately.
I'm not ready to re-live the pandemic through a book, this was written during the height of covid so there is HEAVY talk of vaccines, sickness, death and politics.
I also really do not enjoy reading from a racist character's POV, so that was another thing I was struggling with while reading this book. Hopefully someone takes out the old couple at some point in this book.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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
King wrote a book that perfectly captured a moment in time: the COVID etiquette and awkwardness (wow, did those “which vax did you get?” conversations bring me back!), coupled with the tension and growing awareness over police killings of Black people. We need literature that helps us continue to process the trauma of this time of American history.
I do find it pretty hilarious and ironic that Stephen King writes a book that’s about the horrors of believing pseudoscience and then the pseudoscientists get up in arms about it. What’s furthermore inane about their comments is that they think the “COVID stuff” and the “BLM stuff” is being “shoved down their throats,” or a distraction from the narrative of the book. Girl, that IS the book. Look at the villains: the two horsemen of the apocalypse are a pseudoscientist and a racist. The rants of the villains near the end reveals the theme of what real evil is, and how horrific it can be when those horsemen ride tandem. The two embody Trumpism: twisting science to meet your own ends (“do your own research!”), deep-seated racism, and profound selfishness. (“I love my wife. And I love me. I also love me.”) While the thriller narrative keeps this novel an absolute page-turner, this subtext is why I liked and appreciated the book so much.
My only negative is that I picked this up without having read any other of Holly’s books, and, blaming my recommender on this, he claimed I didn’t have to read the other books she was in to appreciate this one. Eh, yes and no. For me, the excessive character development and background took away from the plot and what I found compelling about the novel. In addition, I found myself confused when previous occurrences from other books were brought up very briefly, seemingly disjointed from the book's narrative. Sure, I cared about the protagonist and her background somewhat helped explain some of her actions in the story, but the scene in the middle of the book of her visiting her mother’s house could be entirely skipped without losing anything for me. But this is on me.
I also think you can appreciate King’s book (or any book) on multiple levels. It can be a gripping and page-turning mystery, it can be a deep dive into a character you may already love, and/or it can be a compelling allegory.
A final note: the portions of the story about Olivia Kingsbury and her relationship with Barbara, exploring the nature of writing and the self of a poet, were, not to be superlative but I’m going to be superlative, some of the most beautiful lines I’ve ever read. I don’t care if they seemed to sometimes distract from the plot; they seemed to be King reflecting on his own age, writing, and legacy.
I do find it pretty hilarious and ironic that Stephen King writes a book that’s about the horrors of believing pseudoscience and then the pseudoscientists get up in arms about it. What’s furthermore inane about their comments is that they think the “COVID stuff” and the “BLM stuff” is being “shoved down their throats,” or a distraction from the narrative of the book. Girl, that IS the book. Look at the villains: the two horsemen of the apocalypse are a pseudoscientist and a racist. The rants of the villains near the end reveals the theme of what real evil is, and how horrific it can be when those horsemen ride tandem. The two embody Trumpism: twisting science to meet your own ends (“do your own research!”), deep-seated racism, and profound selfishness. (“I love my wife. And I love me. I also love me.”) While the thriller narrative keeps this novel an absolute page-turner, this subtext is why I liked and appreciated the book so much.
My only negative is that I picked this up without having read any other of Holly’s books, and, blaming my recommender on this, he claimed I didn’t have to read the other books she was in to appreciate this one. Eh, yes and no. For me, the excessive character development and background took away from the plot and what I found compelling about the novel. In addition, I found myself confused when previous occurrences from other books were brought up very briefly, seemingly disjointed from the book's narrative. Sure, I cared about the protagonist and her background somewhat helped explain some of her actions in the story, but the scene in the middle of the book of her visiting her mother’s house could be entirely skipped without losing anything for me. But this is on me.
I also think you can appreciate King’s book (or any book) on multiple levels. It can be a gripping and page-turning mystery, it can be a deep dive into a character you may already love, and/or it can be a compelling allegory.
A final note: the portions of the story about Olivia Kingsbury and her relationship with Barbara, exploring the nature of writing and the self of a poet, were, not to be superlative but I’m going to be superlative, some of the most beautiful lines I’ve ever read. I don’t care if they seemed to sometimes distract from the plot; they seemed to be King reflecting on his own age, writing, and legacy.
medium-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:
No