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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I’ll be honest, it took me a minute to get into this one. Maybe it’s because I’ve been hopping around Hendrix’s bibliography like a frog trying to find the perfect lilypad, reading out of order and working my way backwards.
But the buildup? Absolutely worth it.
There’s a distinct turning point in this book when the momentum hits, and after that, it becomes nearly impossible to put down. I loved how each chapter is named after an iconic ‘80s pop song, creating an internal soundtrack that drifts you through the story like a nostalgic fever dream.
And the horror? It’s gloriously grotesque. The body horror scenes are so vividly, disgustingly well written that I found myself giggling with twisted delight. (The milkshake scene!! Still not over it.)
Another fun read from an author who’s quickly becoming a new favorite.
But the buildup? Absolutely worth it.
There’s a distinct turning point in this book when the momentum hits, and after that, it becomes nearly impossible to put down. I loved how each chapter is named after an iconic ‘80s pop song, creating an internal soundtrack that drifts you through the story like a nostalgic fever dream.
And the horror? It’s gloriously grotesque. The body horror scenes are so vividly, disgustingly well written that I found myself giggling with twisted delight. (The milkshake scene!! Still not over it.)
Another fun read from an author who’s quickly becoming a new favorite.
A perfectly fine book. Not quite up to the standards I have for Hendrix after Southern Book Club’s Guise to Slaying Vampires, but I had a nice enough time reading it.
god, grady hendrix is really making his way up my ranks of favorite authors, i loved this so much! although there's one scene that will give me nightmares for years to come because it was so fucking gross. can't wait to read more from him!
I will never understand why some men make it their niche to write stories focusing so heavily on women & girls and our stories?? Even when they’re well done, it’s still just so icky to me.
Even though the rape storyline was a red herring and didn’t actually happen, it’s still a huge chunk of the book where a male author is using the threat of rape as the scariest aspect of his story.
Also, this book had no reason to be set in the 80’s. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot other than to add cheesy pop culture references and casual ableism & racism. I understand that that’s how things were back then, however with the upbeat tone of this book, it did NOT come across as “that’s how messed up things were back then!” It was more like a “back in those good old days we didnt get offended by things like that” type of feeling.
Even though the rape storyline was a red herring and didn’t actually happen, it’s still a huge chunk of the book where a male author is using the threat of rape as the scariest aspect of his story.
Also, this book had no reason to be set in the 80’s. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot other than to add cheesy pop culture references and casual ableism & racism. I understand that that’s how things were back then, however with the upbeat tone of this book, it did NOT come across as “that’s how messed up things were back then!” It was more like a “back in those good old days we didnt get offended by things like that” type of feeling.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m going to be honest, this book really bored me. The cover and concept give off campy 80s fun horror movie maybe with some comedic relief. But in reality it took forever for any action to happen and when it did it started as petty fighting between young girls. Which honestly just felt weird for me. I wanted more from the exorcism aspect and more of the friend group fighting this thing together but you get the friend group breaking up and almost all dying because a demon wants to slowly kill off the student body basically.
I just really wanted to love it but I didn’t enjoy it. I read it and completed it because I heard such great things and in the end just completed it because it was an easy read and I was semi curious how it ended.
I just really wanted to love it but I didn’t enjoy it. I read it and completed it because I heard such great things and in the end just completed it because it was an easy read and I was semi curious how it ended.
This just wasn’t for me. It’s outside of my usual genre in a sense but it’s still a teenage coming of age story which is a common theme across many genres. The story was fine, but I wasn’t captivated by it. I specifically listened to it because I saw a tik tocker say it was really cool to hear the possession voices. I took that to mean it would be peppered throughout the story and it wasn’t until the end. Anyway didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. So a solid 3.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5! I loved this book. I agree that it was very good but not quite great. I feel it lost focus toward the end. I really enjoyed Hendrix’s style of writing — the little additions of fliers, etc. immersed you in the book. The 80s nostalgia was so dear to me as a child of the times and brought back so many memories of growing up. It was an incredibly fun read, peppered with some YA-level creeps. I look forward to reading more by Hendrix.
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No