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madelinequinnee'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? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this more than I expected. I went in thinking it would be more ‘vampirey’, if that makes sense, but i guess the Nosferatu mentions are more metaphorical than literal.
I found this really easy to get lost in, the story was interesting and the writing was really descriptive and painted a great picture of the world it takes place in.
There are a few trigger warnings i would look out for if you’re going to read this and are sensitive to certain topics.
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Gore, Kidnapping, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual assault, Blood, Cursing, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Animal death, Death of parent, and Self harm
horrorgami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A horror novel set in Christmas was something I never thought would bring any genuine fear or fright, but Mr. Hill did a very good job in making that the case. There were moments where I was scared, moments I wanted to cry, moments I did outright cry, and moments where I was able to applaud and cheer for Vic and her accomplishments.
Even the antagonist, Charlie Manx, was a well written character - he was bone chilling and there were times that I really didn't know what he planned to do next. Usually in horror novels, once you get a few hundred pages in, you can tell what a person will do next - they become predictable to a sense. This is not the case with Charlie Manx at all. If he were a real life person standing in front of me, he would be someone I would be afraid of, and would hope to be able to run the other way, unscathed.
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Addiction, and Death of parent
priscillarobock'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Dysphoria, Child death, Gore, Abandonment, Bullying, Grief, Kidnapping, Torture, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Death, and Death of parent
judassilver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Specific spoilers for those curious:
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Self harm, Sexism, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Racism, Vomit, Cancer, Car accident, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Stalking, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia
boats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Car accident
baileyclose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Ableism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping
locke_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Torture, Addiction, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
ptoridactyl30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Blood, Sexism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Blood, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abandonment
melchncookies's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Rape, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Fatphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
hayleys_comment's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Technical-goodness aside, I have a some mixed feelings about Hill’s work. The book’s a bit like Dracula, in that every once and a while, there will be a scene that really grabs you, or a line that makes your pulse pound. Everything in-between is just background noise. Of the (roughly) 700 pages, only a handful are memorable.
If you’re not sure whether this book is for you, here are a few things to consider:
1. The novel relies heavily on themes of sexism, sexual assault, and child abuse. There are a few scenes that feature existential/body horror, but they’re less prevalent.
2. Hill is fantastic at scene descriptions. When he’s describing something cool, it’s awesome. Really, really awesome. When he’s describing something gross, it’s visceral. And this novel gets gross. Really, really gross. Nothing too crazy for a horror novel, but it’s definitely worth mentioning, especially with point #1.
3. Ask yourself this: could you ever think of Christmas as something strange, or scary? If the answer is no, you’ll have a hard time suspending your disbelief. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try, but it may have an effect on how you engage with Hill’s story. Christmasland is a big deal.
4. If you’re hesitant, check the content warnings. Seriously. There’s no shame in saying, “this isn’t for me,” or, “not right now.” You can always come back later.
Bonus:
The audio book, narrated by Kate Mulgrew, is absolutely bonkers. 10/10. If you’re an audio person, you’re in for a treat.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gun violence