Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Tastes Like Candy

I really enjoyed this book for the most part - the characters felt relatable and like they knew each other in a meaningful way, the setting of the carnival was well described and came to life, and the kills described were over the top and used the setting well. Truly could see this being a great campy slasher movie. Would recommend this for a quick slasher read especially during the summer or early fall.

Now I’m going to get into some spoiler aspects I didn’t like.

My main issues with this book were 1. The initial killer red herring of the waitress who was so over the top ridiculous (how would no one have not noticed a waitress putting a knife to a kid’s throat in public? 2. The killer reveal was extremely disappointing to me. It felt very much like an after thought and the social media is bad and making kids evil and self-centered diatribe has at this point been pretty overdone in both sci-fi and horror. To me this reveal didn’t bring anything new to that concept. I actually thought James may end up being the killer or someone unknown to us. Someone who could have been a bit more shocking. Blythe being the killer was a little bit surprising but not in a good way as it felt like once we knew that the same points continued to be repeated.

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mousewitched's review

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3.0

solid 3 stars but def needs a tw for body horror!!! also i think the killer was p predictable but i dont necessarily mind that.

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Setting the Scene: 🇺🇸 A fictional town in Texas, USA

POV: We follow multiple high school seniors before and during the scavenger hunt arranged by the outgoing seniors for the incoming seniors.

Mood Reading Match-Up:

High-stakes carnival teen slasher
Fight for your life splatterpunk survival horror
Halloween + late summer adventures with friends
Commentary about future uncertainty, growing up stress, social media, friendship, connectedness, stability, hopes and dreams, fears, psychopathy, and survival.

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🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕

🎬 Tale-Telling: There were two parts to this story: the first half was a character-driven narrative where we learned about the characters, their dreams and fears; the second part was a bloody slasher madness. The transition from deep character dives to survival horror felt feverish. There was a dark humor threading through the panic, and it brought the slasher campiness alongside what should be sheer terror.

🤓 Reader Role: Viewer. Felt like sitting watching from behind a screen, not quite cinematic, more like watching from security footage and piecing things together. Not complaining, I didn’t want to be too in the scene, it would have been too intense.

👥 Characters: Our cast, led by Violet, was a mix of dreams and doubts. Each character was dealing with senior year anxieties (some more relatable than others but not unrealistic), while making their journey through the nightmarish carnival. With mixed results.

🗺️ Ambiance: The summer heat and the carnival were technically good settings. But the ambiance was kinda flat at times, and it was specific in location in the carnival but was hard to get a sense for where the characters were [insert my usual wishes for a layout/diagram here]. It was okay in the smaller settings, like a certain room or specific parts of the carnival.

🔥 Fuel: As the night unfolded, the horror ramped up, with an even mix of gore and fear. The suspense started off wrapped in the cozy familiarity of friendship drama before bringing in the carnage. It got graphic but if you're here for the splatterpunk, you'll be fine.

🚙 Journey: Despite its quirks and hiccups in pacing, it was an interesting story through the twisted tracks of a carnival from hell, with a side of teenage angst and growing up. It would probably be a good match for horror fans that like depth alongside the dread and sprinklings of camp.

Random Thoughts

🤓 What worked: The commitment to making us care about the characters before the slashing starts. I wasn't just watching them get picked off, I was invested and rooting for some of them.

🫠 What didn’t: The occasionally jarring narrative choices and some action scenes that felt more staged (contrived? corny?) than spontaneous. And how long and drawn out this felt in the last half, it felt too long for me.

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Content Heads-Up: Murder. Torture (descriptive, on page). Body horror (gore, injuries). Body shaming (jokes, teasing). Parental rejection (recall, mention). Cannabis use. Alcohol. Suicide.

Rep: Lesbian and heterosexual relationships. White and open to interpretation (racially ambiguous) characters. Cisgender.

👀 Format: Kindle Unlimited

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”

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niamhrowanch's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

WOAAAAAHA

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kyra_joy's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a fun book, felt like watching a typical horror teen slasher. The characters were a bit too one dimensional but overall it was a fun read.

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corporealmystic's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? No

4.0

The characters in this book aren't particularly flushed out to the point that you get attached to them. However you do get an overall sense of who they are at their young age and what us important to them at the time

The atmosphere of this book is southern small town. It seems like everyone knows everyone but you don't really get to see it expanded upon. Once the actual action of the book begins the atmosphere changes to what should feel scary but has more of a 'i should be scared but I'm not' vibe.

The writing in the book is decent, not overly simplistic but at an average level for most readers.

The plot is well flushed out. Group of friends attacked by a deranged murderer in a theme park on the out skirts of town. There is a twist but if you are aware throughout you will be able to figure it out early on.

Overall I greatly enjoyed the book. It was fast paced, a quick easy fun read. There is some gruesome discriptions so please check trigger warnings prior to reading.

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horrorhayleigh's review

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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misscarlaxox's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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