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xreadingwithdemi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Self harm, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
acwhite's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Minor: Slavery, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent
owenwilsonbaby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was camp and fun! I loved it. Scary enough to be a quick, compelling read but not so disturbing that it interfered with my love for the characters. Hendrix's depiction of teenage isolation and anxiety was at times painful to read but delicately amplified the wider horror plot and tropes at work. The real demon is high school!!
Not going to articulate this very well but I think this book's willingness to tackle both the joy and terror of growing up in the eighties is its primary strength. There's a romance and excitement to the setting and time period but it avoids indulging a simplified, homogenised version of the American past that Myke Bartlett identifies in media like Stranger Things. Its exploration of class, racism, ableism and rape culture works to create an uneasiness at the heart of this horror story. Abby has to face down the devil whilst also battling prejudice and a lack of understanding from her peers and the adults in her life.
I don't have many criticisms, and those that I do have I think I can put down to the fact that this book is first and foremost oriented towards young adult readers and therefore written with a different demographic in mind. I did at times wonder if the story may have benefited from the complexity of exploring queerness (hence Abby's penultimate 'dearly and queerly!' confession) but I can appreciate the centring of platonic love and female friendship when recent nostalgic outings like Stranger Things and the IT movies seemed to, at least initially, explore male friendship. All that said, I really enjoyed this book. It made for a good break from long reads, and the pacing, prose and imagery were particularly fantastic.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
mallory10100's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Racism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Classism
i recommend this for spooky season!!hunkydory's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
honeywine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The story trucked along and was somewhere between medium and fast paced. There weren’t many lulls throughout the book which made it an easy read to get lost in.
Great demonic possession story.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
_chelseachelsea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
cowboylikeb'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
erica_palmisano's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Minor: Fatphobia and Death of parent
scarabsi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The stylization in this book is so thorough; if you ever saw the cover design and felt intrigued by its dedication to replicating the look of a retro VHS tape, you'll get exactly what you want and more. Be prepared for heightened emotions of terror and horror both, with some interesting carrots to keep you always wanting to know how it ends.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, and Death of parent