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vstarlight's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
4.5
“This world was designed to generate winners and losers, and it showed a lack of character to wish yourselves a winner without accepting what it does to those who lose.”
➽ I can't believe I waited this long to finally read Thirteen Storeys, as it was amazing! I was so excited for Jonathan Sims' debut novel because I loved The Magnus Archive, the podcast he was a writer on. I'm normally not really into Horror but TMA got me super obsessed and I loved the way it was written. Luckily, he's also fantastic at writing novels and just really writes Horror in a way that draws me in. Thirteen Storeys is focused on Banyan Court, a huge complex that was built by the eccentric billionaire Tobias Fell, who has become a hermit and rarely leaves his penthouse anymore. The story starts with a newspaper entry about his sudden death following a dinner party with 12 guests ... who have no idea what happened. We're slowly working our way back by following different people in the weeks leading up to the dinner party and the strange experiences with Banyan Court.
➽ This feels more like an anthology, as every story is about a different character's life and how Banyan Court haunts them in one way or another. Still, after a while you begin to see the connections between the stories and I loved figuring out what was going on! The dinner party itself only happens at the very end, but I personally didn't mind that as the setup was intriguing and gave us some insight into Tobias, his dubious past and the secrets of the building. The people he invites for the party couldn't be more different, as the complex has two sides. One is for the rich people, but the back is hidden away and full of cheap apartments for those who can't afford better. There were so many intriguing stories, we've got a young woman who only works the night shift, a couple horrified by a mysterious stain in their wall that won't come out, a startup CEO whose own technology turns against him and an art collector who gets obsessed with a painting. There was always a sinister undercurrent to the stories, especially when it comes to the concierge who deals with an intense coworker and a plumber who has been noticing that the pipes don't work like they should. Every single story left me intrigued and I'm definitely excited for more books by Jonny!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Gore, Murder, Blood, Classism, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Colonisation, Transphobia, Drug abuse, and Deadnaming
ladyinverse's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Body horror
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: Medical content, Grief, and Kidnapping
catherinedsharp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A dark and gothic book with a slow plot; it takes a while for things to happen which is a little annoying, and has caused my rating to be lower, but it makes sense for you to be able to understand the plot.
As things went on, you could see links forming. The plot is written and formed in depth with things hinting to each other.
I found the ending satisfying although somewhat predictable. A metaphor for capitalism amongst other things, this novel can be seen as a horror story and social commentary.
Would recommend.
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, and Cannibalism
jan_coco_day's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Classism, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Dementia and Drug abuse
This book does NOT contain sex, sexualisation, or sexual violence.songofthewolfy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Classism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, and Cannibalism
Sims uses the listed content warnings to deliver a scathing critique of society. However, he does not shy away from depictions of mental illness, gore, and trauma. Please use discretion.gryflette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Police brutality
Minor: Abandonment and Transphobia
hellebore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Drug abuse
Minor: Body horror
klavin_lovell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Now I wouldn't recommend reading the book expecting another Magnus Archives as that's not what it is. It is, however, fantastic.
It can become gruesome so I would recommend practicing caution but if you've listened to the more violent Magnus Archives episodes it should be bearable.
In my opinion the story is fascinating, an intelligent statement about morality and self preservation. The ideologies that may come with one's experiences and backgrounds. It can be a little difficult to follow with every chapter being a different narrative and keeping up with the large main cast can be tricky if you don't have the best memory, like myself.
However the cast is diverse and some characters are very memorable, Jonny has shown his skill with a wide range of characters and themes and I am definitely looking forward to his next project.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Child death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
keen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping and Child death
Minor: Deadnaming, Suicide, Addiction, and Transphobia