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nubesmoreno24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
badseedgirl's review against another edition
4.0
It is no secret that "Joe Hill" is the pen name for Joseph Hillstrom King, the second son of Stephen and Tabitha King. This is his 4th book, but is the first one I've read. I don't think I am the only reader who started this novel fearing I was going to be reading an Stephen King clone. I could not have been more wrong.
Nos4A2 is a modern day fairytale. Vic is a young girl with her own magic bridge. This bridge is able to take Vic to any fixed point in the world. Vic uses it to help find missing things. Her mother's missing bracelet left while on vacation, a photo lost in school, her best friends favorite toy. One day Vic uses this bridge to take her to someone who can explain her power. While visiting "Maggie Lee" who has a bag of Scrabble tiles that can answer questions, Vic learns about "The Wraith". A man who has a similar skill as Vic but is using it to kidnap children.
In typical fairytale fashion Vic hunts and finds Charlie Manx the "wraith" they meet in battle and Vic defeats him causing him to be arrested. This is where the fairytale should end, with "they all lived happily ever after" Where Mr. Hill challenges his readers is what happens to Red Riding Hood after her run in with the Big Bad Wolf, and What kind of people do Hansel and Gretel turn into after escaping from the Witch.
Well in the case of Vic, when her fairytale ends, she drops out of school, has a child out of wedlock, starts hearing phantom phones, writes an popular series of children's novels, burns down her own home, spends time in a psychiatric institute, and a rehab. And then Charlie Manx's come back, and steals her son.
Vic's story is so sad, and compelling. Once I started reading I was completely drawn into her story. I loved this novel and can't wait to read more from Mr. Joe Hill.
Nos4A2 is a modern day fairytale. Vic is a young girl with her own magic bridge. This bridge is able to take Vic to any fixed point in the world. Vic uses it to help find missing things. Her mother's missing bracelet left while on vacation, a photo lost in school, her best friends favorite toy. One day Vic uses this bridge to take her to someone who can explain her power. While visiting "Maggie Lee" who has a bag of Scrabble tiles that can answer questions, Vic learns about "The Wraith". A man who has a similar skill as Vic but is using it to kidnap children.
In typical fairytale fashion Vic hunts and finds Charlie Manx the "wraith" they meet in battle and Vic defeats him causing him to be arrested. This is where the fairytale should end, with "they all lived happily ever after" Where Mr. Hill challenges his readers is what happens to Red Riding Hood after her run in with the Big Bad Wolf, and What kind of people do Hansel and Gretel turn into after escaping from the Witch.
Well in the case of Vic, when her fairytale ends, she drops out of school, has a child out of wedlock, starts hearing phantom phones, writes an popular series of children's novels, burns down her own home, spends time in a psychiatric institute, and a rehab. And then Charlie Manx's come back, and steals her son.
Vic's story is so sad, and compelling. Once I started reading I was completely drawn into her story. I loved this novel and can't wait to read more from Mr. Joe Hill.
paoakalani's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
casualshino's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I came into this wanting something to get me into the Christmas Spirit, while sticking to my love child of a genre; horror. This did not disappoint.
An action packed and deeply emotional experience about the loss of innocence and what it means to be a parent. The way Joe constructs these characters is astonishing, they are all equally flawed but lovable.
There where some ass pulls in the narrative that bothered me and a few jokes that didn’t hit home, but all in all I loved the ride I took in the back seat of The Wraith.
bldownunder's review against another edition
5.0
Joe is a masterful writer, moving in the same literary circles as his father but forging his own creative path. Vic, Lou, Wayne and Manx are some of the most interesting, well fleshed out characters and the story - riveting! I’d recommend this as a first read for those wanting to dive into Joe Hill’s works.
birdiaaaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
songwind's review against another edition
5.0
This book has everything I want in a horror novel. Characters that are easy to relate to, even when they're flawed. Villains that are scary but human. A real sense of danger to the characters that lasts right up until the last handful of pages.
I found NOS4A2's Charlie Manx even more horrifying because I'm a father. Any threat to children hits me particularly hard, but Hill's treatment of it kept it horrifying and sickening to the end. I also found something to identify with in most of the characters, even the sickening Gasmask Man.
Like other beloved horror books, I never felt "safe" on behalf of any of the characters. Horror maintains its tension in large part because it's the only genre where there's no reasonable expectation of a positive ending. The heroes may lose or victories may be Pyrrhic. Hill keeps you guessing until the end of the book.
Buy it. Read it. Shiver.
I found NOS4A2's Charlie Manx even more horrifying because I'm a father. Any threat to children hits me particularly hard, but Hill's treatment of it kept it horrifying and sickening to the end. I also found something to identify with in most of the characters, even the sickening Gasmask Man.
Like other beloved horror books, I never felt "safe" on behalf of any of the characters. Horror maintains its tension in large part because it's the only genre where there's no reasonable expectation of a positive ending. The heroes may lose or victories may be Pyrrhic. Hill keeps you guessing until the end of the book.
Buy it. Read it. Shiver.