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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Chopping Spree is essentially that perfect retro slasher film. Taking place in an 80s themed mall in Eden Hills, this is sure to incite nostalgia. Penny, a junior in high school, is doing inventory with her co-workers who all are now wearing strange symbols. When she finds someone murdered, their lives depend on survival as they race through the mall.
This was about sixty pages and full of action. It not only has the slasher-esque thrill we feel putting on our favorite movies, but there are cults intertwined as well. That was definitely a hell yes, I'm sold moment for me! I thought this was super fun to read and reminded me of the point horror books (although this is not targeted at that audience).
Read if you like: slashers, miss the mall glory days, want more cash, would love to be part of a weird cult, and like 80s music (the playlist in the back is killer, time to make it for my Spotify!).
This was about sixty pages and full of action. It not only has the slasher-esque thrill we feel putting on our favorite movies, but there are cults intertwined as well. That was definitely a hell yes, I'm sold moment for me! I thought this was super fun to read and reminded me of the point horror books (although this is not targeted at that audience).
Read if you like: slashers, miss the mall glory days, want more cash, would love to be part of a weird cult, and like 80s music (the playlist in the back is killer, time to make it for my Spotify!).
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into the story thinking it would be about a group trying to survive a deranged killer in a shopping mall but that’s probably only the first 40 pages or so. The rest of the story focuses on the main character being forced to join a cult, comprised of her dad, friends, and others, that worships money and trying to escape them.
I did enjoy the first part and the book was well-written, but the money cult felt a bit flat and wasn’t as interesting to me and it’s why I also did not want to rate it higher than 2.5 stars.
One thing I noticed while reading it, whether intentional or not, was the slight antisemitism in the description of one of the key players in the money cult as he is described as hook nosed (and obviously evil and money hungry). I am not jewish, but I do think we should examine why this specific character was described as that.
I did enjoy the first part and the book was well-written, but the money cult felt a bit flat and wasn’t as interesting to me and it’s why I also did not want to rate it higher than 2.5 stars.
One thing I noticed while reading it, whether intentional or not, was the slight antisemitism in the description of one of the key players in the money cult as he is described as hook nosed (and obviously evil and money hungry). I am not jewish, but I do think we should examine why this specific character was described as that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun, quick read! It follows a teenage girl who works at a mall and a dangerous encounter with a man in a wolfs mask. Her and her coworkers try to survive this villain but at the same time, try to stop him.
This story reminded me of something that you would see on the Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt--I think that's why I found it to be fairly entertaining. The reveals weren't super predictable but the ending isn't anything surprising or new. I liked the concept of the book and enjoyed the "comedic" parts but I was just hoping for more gore.
Again, this was decent--I'm going to keep an eye out for more of Angelas works.
3/5
This was a fun, quick read! It follows a teenage girl who works at a mall and a dangerous encounter with a man in a wolfs mask. Her and her coworkers try to survive this villain but at the same time, try to stop him.
This story reminded me of something that you would see on the Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt--I think that's why I found it to be fairly entertaining. The reveals weren't super predictable but the ending isn't anything surprising or new. I liked the concept of the book and enjoyed the "comedic" parts but I was just hoping for more gore.
Again, this was decent--I'm going to keep an eye out for more of Angelas works.
3/5
As a fan of all things horror, reading the description of this novel it was literally a no-brainer in wanting to read it.
So long story short....
The book takes place in a 80’s themed mall and it picks up really fast. It goes from B-style horror to a nice but subtle twist (I can’t say as it’ll ruin the surprise), and an explosive ending (pun intended).
It’s a fun and short read and anything horror/ 80’s related I personally love. My only issue with the novel is that because of it’s length, it had to jump into the story and does not provide character development as much.
If you’re looking for a quick book to just breeze through and not have to ponder what is life afterward? This is for you. If you love B-movie horror films? This is for you. If you love books that feels as though they could take place in the 80’s- with an awesome 80’s playlist? This is definitely for you!
All in all I would love to visit the other books in the series (and I’m looking forward to see what the author comes up with next, hopefully more books centered around 80’s/90’s).
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Thank you! ^_^)
So long story short....
The book takes place in a 80’s themed mall and it picks up really fast. It goes from B-style horror to a nice but subtle twist (I can’t say as it’ll ruin the surprise), and an explosive ending (pun intended).
It’s a fun and short read and anything horror/ 80’s related I personally love. My only issue with the novel is that because of it’s length, it had to jump into the story and does not provide character development as much.
If you’re looking for a quick book to just breeze through and not have to ponder what is life afterward? This is for you. If you love B-movie horror films? This is for you. If you love books that feels as though they could take place in the 80’s- with an awesome 80’s playlist? This is definitely for you!
All in all I would love to visit the other books in the series (and I’m looking forward to see what the author comes up with next, hopefully more books centered around 80’s/90’s).
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Thank you! ^_^)
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.*
**3.5 rating
This story follows Penny, who works at 80s themed mall in a really hip clothing store.
Penny notices that her fellow coworkers are all wearing the same symbol. When she asks about it, they just blow her off. Wanting to fit in with them, she accepts an invitation to stay after closing and party in the store.
However, during the party, she hears a scream and finds another teenager has been stabbed. Doing everything they can, the group discovers that the teen wasn’t the only victim and there’s a killer on the loose.
However, the killers motive will lead Penny to learn some horrifying truth about the mall she works at.
These Rewind or Die books are so fun. They’re fast paced, quick, and easy to read.
I’ve made it my mission to read all of them eventually because they’re just fun little books.
The 80s feel is always a hit with me. It feels like reading a slasher movie, which is something that I thoroughly enjoy.
I really liked the setting of this book being inside a mall. I always used to want to accidentally get stuck in a mall after hours, but this book definitely makes me think twice about that.
I also liked the twist, it might have been a tiny predictable, but not fully.
I think the only thing I didn’t love about this book was the length. I know these books are supposed to be short quick reads, but I feel like 70 pages does such a disservice to the story. If it had been a bit longer, I think it could have been expanded upon more and really been a knockout.
I did enjoy it overall and would read more from this author in the future.
**3.5 rating
This story follows Penny, who works at 80s themed mall in a really hip clothing store.
Penny notices that her fellow coworkers are all wearing the same symbol. When she asks about it, they just blow her off. Wanting to fit in with them, she accepts an invitation to stay after closing and party in the store.
However, during the party, she hears a scream and finds another teenager has been stabbed. Doing everything they can, the group discovers that the teen wasn’t the only victim and there’s a killer on the loose.
However, the killers motive will lead Penny to learn some horrifying truth about the mall she works at.
These Rewind or Die books are so fun. They’re fast paced, quick, and easy to read.
I’ve made it my mission to read all of them eventually because they’re just fun little books.
The 80s feel is always a hit with me. It feels like reading a slasher movie, which is something that I thoroughly enjoy.
I really liked the setting of this book being inside a mall. I always used to want to accidentally get stuck in a mall after hours, but this book definitely makes me think twice about that.
I also liked the twist, it might have been a tiny predictable, but not fully.
I think the only thing I didn’t love about this book was the length. I know these books are supposed to be short quick reads, but I feel like 70 pages does such a disservice to the story. If it had been a bit longer, I think it could have been expanded upon more and really been a knockout.
I did enjoy it overall and would read more from this author in the future.
3.5 stars
If you love modern stories that give a whole lotta love to 80s slashers, you're going to want to check out Chopping Spree. It's a short, fun ride, and the length of it works well — we get right to the quick of it, without any necessary development being sacrificed in the story itself. Despite the fact that there's a bit of predictability to the over-arching theme, I think it's a story you should go into knowing as little as possible, so I won't be the one to spoil you. I definitely look forward to reading more from Angela Sylvaine and I'm glad I picked this up!
NOTE: I usually only shelve books as adult or YA, but I wanted to mention that I think this book would appeal very widely to lovers of both age ranges!
✨ Representation: the main character is queer (bi/pan, no specific label used)
✨ Content warnings for:
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
———
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If you love modern stories that give a whole lotta love to 80s slashers, you're going to want to check out Chopping Spree. It's a short, fun ride, and the length of it works well — we get right to the quick of it, without any necessary development being sacrificed in the story itself. Despite the fact that there's a bit of predictability to the over-arching theme, I think it's a story you should go into knowing as little as possible, so I won't be the one to spoil you. I definitely look forward to reading more from Angela Sylvaine and I'm glad I picked this up!
NOTE: I usually only shelve books as adult or YA, but I wanted to mention that I think this book would appeal very widely to lovers of both age ranges!
✨ Representation: the main character is queer (bi/pan, no specific label used)
✨ Content warnings for:
Spoiler
murder, violence, bombing, brief reference to death of a puppyThank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
———
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dark
fast-paced
It's not badly written, but it's not for me. I did like the 80s soundtrack running through here, I thought that was very clever, but in general this had all the subtlety of an anvil falling from a great height. In fairness to Sylvaine, Chopping Spree is very much in the teen slasher model of horror, and I don't think I've ever seen a slasher film that was subtle in any way, so this novella is certainly set firmly in type. (If you love those films - and I enjoy them myself, even if they're not my favourite type of horror - then you'll like this.) When it comes to capitalist cults, however, I tend to think that less is more. Probably because the consequences of unchecked capitalism are so awful that I don't need ritualistic murders to underline them; basic greed does well enough producing horror on its own.
Having side-eyed it for its obviousness, however, I'm going to state that any book with a title like Chopping Spree should have its murderers armed with axes instead of knives. Yes, I know. Rank hypocrisy on my part.
Having side-eyed it for its obviousness, however, I'm going to state that any book with a title like Chopping Spree should have its murderers armed with axes instead of knives. Yes, I know. Rank hypocrisy on my part.
medium-paced
My least favorite of the Rewind or Die series that I’ve read so far. I just didn’t really care for the story or characters.