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cheezh8er's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? No
3.5
This was a fun and engaging version of hell! The prose was surprisingly poignant, although a bit flowery at times. My one main issue is that the two story lines felt very disconnected through most of the book, almost being two completely different stories. There were certainly times I really couldn't bring myself to care about the high school drama and wanted to get back to exploring the underworld.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Body shaming, Bullying, Self harm, Suicide, Child abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Sexism, Grief, Death, and Drug abuse
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
thatswhatshanread's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It took me SEVEN MONTHS to finish this novel. There are many reasons why:
1. From BOTM’s description and the book’s general marketing, I fully expected this to be a horror/thriller. It was not. It was more just a family drama with a supernatural sort-of twist with half of the book’s POV set in literal Hell.
2. Every time I picked this book up to read it over the last several months, I was bored. The first half of the book seems like it’s going NOWHERE and nothing stuck. The storyline that follows Peyote in Hell seems completely irrelevant to the storyline in present day that follows The Harrison family.
3. But then, it finally picks up. Once I finally pushed myself to get more into it (after almost DNFing many times), something shifted. The stakes changed. Suddenly the Harrison family story is dysfunctional and mysterious and gripping. The Peyote storyline shows potential of intersecting with the other, some interesting twists come about.
4. Still, it’s confusing. I still have no idea how they will connect, just that now Peyote is actually referencing the Harrison family members and their dilemmas.
5. Peyote and Cal’s plot becomes even more confusing and drawn out. But I’m very intrigued with the POVs from the Harrisons’ side.
6. I finish the last 250 pages within a couple days. The pacing finally hit a sweet spot for me. The imminent ending seemed promising; everything would finally make sense.
7. Except… it wasn’t? And it didn’t?
This really felt like two different books in one. In the end, I was still confused, and disappointed in all of that buildup to… what, exactly? I would have rather read about only The Harrisons. But I guess it was entertaining, nonetheless. Something different. Just maybe not the different I wanted it to be.
1. From BOTM’s description and the book’s general marketing, I fully expected this to be a horror/thriller. It was not. It was more just a family drama with a supernatural sort-of twist with half of the book’s POV set in literal Hell.
2. Every time I picked this book up to read it over the last several months, I was bored. The first half of the book seems like it’s going NOWHERE and nothing stuck. The storyline that follows Peyote in Hell seems completely irrelevant to the storyline in present day that follows The Harrison family.
3. But then, it finally picks up. Once I finally pushed myself to get more into it (after almost DNFing many times), something shifted. The stakes changed. Suddenly the Harrison family story is dysfunctional and mysterious and gripping. The Peyote storyline shows potential of intersecting with the other, some interesting twists come about.
4. Still, it’s confusing. I still have no idea how they will connect, just that now Peyote is actually referencing the Harrison family members and their dilemmas.
5. Peyote and Cal’s plot becomes even more confusing and drawn out. But I’m very intrigued with the POVs from the Harrisons’ side.
6. I finish the last 250 pages within a couple days. The pacing finally hit a sweet spot for me. The imminent ending seemed promising; everything would finally make sense.
7. Except… it wasn’t? And it didn’t?
This really felt like two different books in one. In the end, I was still confused, and disappointed in all of that buildup to… what, exactly? I would have rather read about only The Harrisons. But I guess it was entertaining, nonetheless. Something different. Just maybe not the different I wanted it to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Violence, Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Confinement, Body shaming, Genocide, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Cancer, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Stalking
maggieparedesauthor's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Murder, Pregnancy, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Addiction, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, and Drug use
lou153clem's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely LOVED this book. I ate it up so fast. At no point did I know where it was going or what was going to happen- even when I thought I did. Literally could not put it down. The dad in the book gave me some creeps when he inexplicably watched a child SHOWER. And it was never bought up again, which confused me and made me lose sympathy for the character almost, but I can also see it as a reflection of his generally flawed character . All in all an incredible read- and for a DEBUT novel; I’ll be waiting for Lux’s next inpatiently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Child abuse
Minor: Pedophilia, Murder, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Child abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
antimony's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
for millennia, peyote "pey" trip has worked his way up through the levels of hell, and now he's on the fifth level, making deals and eagerly watching the harrison family -- if he can get a deal from one more of them, it'll make a "complete set" and he will be up for a long-awaited promotion. meanwhile, the harrisons are on their annual trip to their lake home in new hampshire, and this year they've brought their daughter mickey's charismatic new friend ruth along with them -- and ruth is going to change everything.
this was very fun. it started out rather silly as all the best depictions of hell do (i am thinking of you the good place) and also made me think a bit about hellhole by gina damico for no reason other than it also being a horror-comedy involving hell and demons. i enjoyed pey's storyline a lot. the harrisons' i liked a bit less because while it started good and ended EXCELLENT there was a lot of family drama and adultery in the middle which was a bit boring but OH HHHH (view spoiler) . i really enjoyed all of the end of the book . both storylines. i was a bit confused on what was going on with cal sometimes but that's ok. and i liked the silly worldbuilding of hell and i flew through this book, it was super engaging for the most part :)
this was very fun. it started out rather silly as all the best depictions of hell do (i am thinking of you the good place) and also made me think a bit about hellhole by gina damico for no reason other than it also being a horror-comedy involving hell and demons. i enjoyed pey's storyline a lot. the harrisons' i liked a bit less because while it started good and ended EXCELLENT there was a lot of family drama and adultery in the middle which was a bit boring but OH HHHH (view spoiler) . i really enjoyed all of the end of the book . both storylines. i was a bit confused on what was going on with cal sometimes but that's ok. and i liked the silly worldbuilding of hell and i flew through this book, it was super engaging for the most part :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Self harm, Suicide, and Pedophilia
abookandaspotoftea's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Murder, Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Body shaming, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Bullying
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, and Gun violence
ajohnston13's review
dark
mysterious
fast-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
4.75
I loved the changing perspectives and timelines. Kept the story moving quickly. I didn’t see the twist coming at the end which was a pleasant surprise. I thought for sure I knew but totally wrong! Rated 4.75 just because the ending was slightly disappointing. Not bad, just… left me wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Self harm, Child abuse, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Toxic friendship
ellahoffrell's review
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and War
lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
I picked this debut up from Book of the Month and was so excited to devour this story.
"Sign Here" follows a few different points of view, but there are two main stories going on. The first storyline is Peyote's. Peyote is a man stuck working on the fifth level of hell. He has worked his way up from the first level and is entirely motivated to work his way out of hell and return to his old life. The fifth level of hell deals with contracts, and the employees are tasked with finding individuals on earth who want to sell their souls (I mean who REALLY reads all of the terms and conditions). Peyote has been working for years to get the entire Harrison family to sign their life away, and he only needs one more signature to have a complete set. Enter the Harrisons: the second main storyline. The Harrisons seem like the perfect family, but they are all hiding secrets that could tear the family apart. Every year they go to the family cabin for the majority of the summer break. This year, the teenage daughter, Mickey, is allowed to invite her new friend Ruth to come along. Everything seems to be going as good as can be expected, until Ruth becomes the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
I was kind of expecting for this story to feel more chaotic than it did because there are so many different points of view we are following, and the timeline jumps around a lot. We get the present timeline as well as the timeline from when the parents were teenagers. There was a tragic murder of a beloved girl when they were teenagers and the father's brother was tried and convicted of said murder.
While Peyote is working in hell, he is tasked with helping the new recruit to the fifth level: Calamity. Cal's character is entirely erratic and extremely deceptive, which for a person who works in hell is good, but as a character to read about it was too much for me. She is wild and a great counterpart to Peyote's dull office demeanor, but she is also off the rails.
I think this story could have been stronger if we only got Peyote's perspective. His story was what I was most invested in because the Harrisons are just a bunch of bad people who want to think they are right. I do appreciate getting to see Peyote's "set" signing their life away and seeing what drove them to that point, but I think with the technology in hell and how Peyote monitors people, we still could have gotten that story with their points of view.
Overall, I was impressed with this story, and I cannot wait to see more from Claudia Lux in the future.
"Sign Here" follows a few different points of view, but there are two main stories going on. The first storyline is Peyote's. Peyote is a man stuck working on the fifth level of hell. He has worked his way up from the first level and is entirely motivated to work his way out of hell and return to his old life. The fifth level of hell deals with contracts, and the employees are tasked with finding individuals on earth who want to sell their souls (I mean who REALLY reads all of the terms and conditions). Peyote has been working for years to get the entire Harrison family to sign their life away, and he only needs one more signature to have a complete set. Enter the Harrisons: the second main storyline. The Harrisons seem like the perfect family, but they are all hiding secrets that could tear the family apart. Every year they go to the family cabin for the majority of the summer break. This year, the teenage daughter, Mickey, is allowed to invite her new friend Ruth to come along. Everything seems to be going as good as can be expected, until Ruth becomes the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
I was kind of expecting for this story to feel more chaotic than it did because there are so many different points of view we are following, and the timeline jumps around a lot. We get the present timeline as well as the timeline from when the parents were teenagers. There was a tragic murder of a beloved girl when they were teenagers and the father's brother was tried and convicted of said murder.
While Peyote is working in hell, he is tasked with helping the new recruit to the fifth level: Calamity. Cal's character is entirely erratic and extremely deceptive, which for a person who works in hell is good, but as a character to read about it was too much for me. She is wild and a great counterpart to Peyote's dull office demeanor, but she is also off the rails.
I think this story could have been stronger if we only got Peyote's perspective. His story was what I was most invested in because the Harrisons are just a bunch of bad people who want to think they are right. I do appreciate getting to see Peyote's "set" signing their life away and seeing what drove them to that point, but I think with the technology in hell and how Peyote monitors people, we still could have gotten that story with their points of view.
Overall, I was impressed with this story, and I cannot wait to see more from Claudia Lux in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Stalking, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Pedophilia and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content and Cancer
thecriticalreader's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I chose Sign Here as one of my Book of the Month Choices because I was intrigued by the author’s conception of hell.
Plot: 3/5
The plot of Sign Here got very convoluted very quickly, but it kept pulling me along with its intrigue. I could not put it down. The book follows two loosely connected storylines: one is the story of Peyote, a damned soul who goes to Earth to get more humans to sign their souls away, and the other is the story of the Harrison family on summer vacation. The Harrison family plotline fits the domestic thriller mold, whereas Peyote’s storyline involves more fantasy elements. Peyote’s storyline was more interesting to follow because of the afterlife setting and his ability to jump through time and space, but its conclusion was on the weaker side because it did not connect that well to the Harrison storyline. Peyote’s relationship with his coworker Cal ended up being too confusing and disjointed from the main story to work with the novel as a whole. The Harrison storyline had a satisfying, if rather run-of-the-mill, domestic thriller conclusion.
Characters: 3/5
I found the side characters in hell, such as the obnoxious egomaniac fratboy Trey and the micromanaging boss K, to be highly entertaining caricatures of douchebags most people know in real life. I wish that Lux had included more of such characters in the book. Peyote and Cal remained rather elusive, but this was by design: living in hell for millennia is meant to strip someone of their personal identity. It was interesting to see Peyote and Cal navigate their relationship when neither was sure if they could trust each other—or themselves.
The characters in the Harrison storyline were interesting enough. They weren’t the most complex or fleshed-out characters I have ever read, but they had enough personality and motivation to keep the story going.
Setting/Worldbuilding: 3.5/5
The setting of hell was deeply entertaining. I loved learning about all of the ways the upper levels of hell managed to make their occupants miserable: the bars only serve Jägermeister, the only music you have access to is music you hated while you were alive, puddles appear randomly and at varying depths, etc. I also thought the premise of “rising through the ranks” in hell to be interesting, as it became a self-perpetuating system of damnation.
I wish that Lux had dug a little deeper into the Hell lore. I walked away with a lot of questions, some of which were based in curiosity and others which addressed potential plot holes. Is there a Heaven in this universe? How old does someone have to be to sign away their soul? (surely it would be easy to get a bunch of children to sign their souls away). Why does Hell have a loophole? The more I thought about the worldbuilding, the sloppier it seemed.
Themes: 3.5/5
The book’s central question was whether humanity and goodness can persevere in literal Hell. I enjoyed how creatively Lux addressed and answered the question. The domestic thriller portion of the book dealt with the standard domestic thriller themes of family secrets and revenge.
Writing Style: 3.5/5
I enjoyed Lux’s writing style. It was easy to read and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Conclusion:
The creative premise of Sign Here and its fun, page-turning execution made it an enjoyable read in the moment. Upon more intense reflection, however, weaknesses in the worldbuilding and plot start to show.
Other Points:
· Some people have complained that Sign Here feels like two completely separate books smashed into one. I did not mind this while I was reading it, but I have to agree with them.
· One of the main characters engages in the sexualization of a fourteen-year-old child, which became extremely uncomfortable. I think the author tried to frame it as more of a weird coping mechanism than blatant pedophilia, but that didn’t really help much—especially since the incident is sort of brushed off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Infidelity