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uraveragelesbianreader'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Death, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Violence, Sexual violence, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
ricksilva's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
So the concept is a support group for survivors of the "real events" that inspired those slasher films. The author uses renamed but pretty obvious stand-ins for Halloween, Friday the Thirteenth, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, Silent Night Deadly Night (really kind of an amalgam of holiday-season horror tropes), and (I am guessing a bit here; this one got the the fewest details) Leprechaun.
The survivors, now middle-aged, meet regularly for group therapy with a therapist specializing in survivors of violence. Now, the violence has found them again. Holiday season massacre survivor Lynette had dedicated her life to isolation and self-protection, but her carefully-laid defenses fall apart and events go out of control rapidly.
This was a fun story with a lot of nostalgia and some solid deconstructing of the horror movie tropes that inspired it. The characters are all flawed and scarred, but they were great fun to cheer on. The plot was loaded with twists, some predictable, but a decent amount unexpected.
The story is extremely violent, especially in the flashbacks to the horror movie scenarios, which are made more disturbing because we get to see the realist aftermaths of movies that normally cut to credits the moment the action is over. The grief, trauma, and long-term injuries give further impact to the violence of the various murder sprees.
The worldbuilding based on the premise that all of the slasher films were actual movies but were adaptations of the stories of real crimes was intriguing, and there was enough left unanswered (especially about this world's version of Nightmare on Elm Street) to warrant a sequel. Which is something every good (and almost every bad) slasher film should have.
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Child death
Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
alexisgarcia'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
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Stalking, Terminal illness, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Gore, Addiction, and Excrement
jessthanthree'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
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
childofmongreldogs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kept me on my toes, constantly guessing what would happen next and who was at fault. Cast of characters was sadly a bit dull and less fleshed out than one would hope for.
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, Addiction, Blood, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
bloopyfloopy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Child death, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Blood
theakilahbrown's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
This was a fast read for me, in that I burned through about half of it in one day. The premise is basically "What if horror movies were real? What happens to those final girls after their movies are over?" The short answer is that they would form a support group. The long answer is that the horror is never truly over for them for a variety of reasons.
This is a horror book that critiques horror books, so, on the one hand, a lot of the commentary was on point, but on the other hand, I found myself wishing at times that it wasn't a *horror* book so that the point could be made in other ways, but that's not really the point of the book. As much as it is about movie monsters, it's also about real life monsters and the impact they have on the women (and children) they harm and what the glorification of movie monsters means. So, basically, it's like Scream but with a feminist bent.
I thought Lynnette was an interesting choice of a main character for many reasons, but one of the big ones is that she's not a "true" final girl because she didn't kill her monster like the other women did, and she also has the smallest life and is the most paranoid. I think there was a missed opportunity for Hendrix to get into WHY the other women made different choices because it almost seems like he's saying Lynnette made the right choice, which I don't necessarily agree with. There also should have been way more female friendship stuff in here, but it is there so I can't complain too much.
Those are relatively minor quibbles, though. I liked the book overall and thought it was smart and engaging. I wasn't sure at first how I felt about the ending, especially who the real life monster turned out to be, but the more I think about it, the more I like and appreciate it, so there's also that.
Some quotes:
Does this ever end? Will there always be someone out there turning little boys into monsters? Will we always be final girls? Will there always be monsters killing us?
I won't let messed-up parents keep making monsters, and I won't let these boys keep making more final girls. It's not some profound and ancient ritual. It's just a waste of life.
All in all, I would recommend it, especially if you're a fan of horror movies and/or badass women.
Graphic: Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Stalking, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Chronic illness and Addiction
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
artistneutral's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Gore and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Sexual violence
middumullu'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Stalking, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual violence