Reviews - Don't Fear the Reaper

2.26k reviews for:

Don't Fear the Reaper

Stephen Graham Jones

4.15 AVERAGE

woolnbourbon's review

4.5

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

hogsqueal's review against another edition

4.25

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

kelraeski's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

skylerreads28's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious tense 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: No

I don’t know if this is true but I felt like this book was definitely more gory than the first one. The video store scene had my skin CRAWLING and I gagged once or twice. The character development overall was amazing but Jade Daniels is becoming one of my favorite characters ever. After how incredible this book was I can’t wait to start the third book.

sophieconstable's review against another edition

3.5

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

For a book that takes place over thirty six hours, this was very slow paced. However, I loved the horror elements and it has some very gory descriptions.

danajacobs's review

3.75

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

bonafidefaygo's review

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

As I make my way through Stephen Graham Jones ouvre, I have been blown away by some of his works. I've wept at three of them, but My Heart is a Chainsaw was middling for me. I appreciated what it was doing, and loved the emotional aspect of it, but too much of it fell flat like the pacing and the narration. So I've been putting off reading the second one but I was much more into this one.

I think the pacing is MUCH better with the action being spread out throughout the whole book. I think Jade's trajectory as an MC is fascinating, and the satirical elements of this felt much more successful (and makes sense in-universe) so it gives it an almost Scream-like quality. Overall, I think this is a much more entertaining novel.

However, I think it's messaging is a little muddled because there's just so much going on and too many threads whereas I thought the first book was VERY clear in what he was trying to say. Now, I do think all of the threads in this book are important in terms of the message of the novel but perhaps simplifying or converging two of the threads could have been more efficient and effective.

In total, I think this book improved in the places the first book was weak in... but weakened in places where the first book was strong. Like, the pacing of the first book killed me but you're rewarded with a chaotic, bloody finale in the last 100 pages. But then in this book, I flew through the first 75% of it but then it just got so messy and muddy that I was re-reading pages and trying to figure out what the reveals and twists were even doing.

So, hopefully the third book sticks the landing and improves on both of the previous books and provides a satisfying and emotional conclusion to the trilogy.