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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Well for some reason it took me a while to get back to this book( mainly because it was constantly on loan from the library I think, and then I forgot about it until Never Flinch came in.) but when I did, I read it in 3 days. Holly Gibney is one of my favourite characters of all time. I think I like her more than Elizabeth Bennett or Jane Eyre!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
Considering I’ve been looking forward to reading Holly for more than a year now, this has unfortunately come as a bit of a disappointment. Meandering & repetitive plot beats and more waffling than necessary. It’s still decent, but it’s possibly my least favourite of the Hodges/Holly series.
I adore King, but he’s trying so hard to be commentarial and referential in this one – too much so, one might argue (and I do), because it doesn’t do a great deal for the narrative; more so just feeling like diary entries for his thoughts on culture during the pandemic & the mania of the Trump presidency. I respect and greatly appreciate his staunch hatred for idiocy and hypocrisy in the political climate of today – but it gets tired after a couple hundred pages.
As does the meandering of introducing characters and detailing at length how they’re impacted by the kidnappings – it becomes quantity over quality and I’m just waiting, eyes pre-rolled, for Holly Gibney (love of my life) to just get to the bottom of shit already. It almost feels unfinished, like multiple drafts thrown together for the sake of a Dickensian word count.
My favourite part, which was somewhat surprising to me, was Barbara Robinson’s role in this one. It feels like she’s in a totally different narrative. It’s adorable. Tonally dissonant with nearly everything else going on, but I just kinda love Barbara.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought the horror would be worse
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
Stellar from King, as always!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes