Reviews

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

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complexlyleslie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

bex_knighthunter's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

A horror thriller coming-of-age story, sold as a memoir from Tolly who was a Teenage Slasher. I've been excited to read this author for a while, but unfortunately this fell kind of flat for me. It is told in a stream-of-consciousness style, which worked reasonably well on audio and made this pretty readable, even if some parts did feel a little repetitive. However, I just didn't find myself drawn in by the events, especially in the second half after the main idea was revealed, when it felt like it dragged on way too long. After this, it all became a little too predicable for me, with only minor deviations from what would be expected from the genre. Or maybe the issue is that while I've seen a few slasher films, it's far from my favourite genre, and maybe I was missing some subtle references (although there were plenty more obvious calls within the text so I don't think that was it). While I sympathised with Tolly, at least to begin with, I never felt very connected with him. I did like his (platonic-ish) relationship with Amber, but maybe would have liked more from her in the story. The atmosphere was pretty good, with a strong sense of Texas in the 1980s. Overall, it was fun as a pretty straightforward action horror with lots of violence and gore, but just maybe not my kind of horror!

caitlin192's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

amelieoboken's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

autocorrecttodemons's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

thehodgenator's review

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2.0

Not all books are for all readers, and I begrudgingly have decided this book was not for me.

I really wanted to love this book. Look at the title, the cover, the premise - all appeal to me. I grew up watching the 70s and 80s slasher films and was excited to see the new trend take off with the release of 'Scream.'

It was the execution.

The book is written from the killer's POV, which is fine, but it was stream of consciousness, and I had a hard time staying focused on what was happening and who it was happening to.

Part of what was intriguing to me as a reader was being in his muffled brain, and I am sure this was purposeful for the readers who loved - and devoured - this book.

But for me, it just caused me to spend the reading disengaged, confused, and frustrated.

There are plenty who have read and loved this book, so I hope my 2 stars does not dissuade someone from giving it a fair shot.

It just wasn't for me.