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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
This was my favorite of the trilogy.
Difficult to follow at times but this was a really good follow up to the first. I cannot wait to see how things are wrapped up.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
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:
Yes
This story suffers from Middle Book Syndrome. It's still enjoyable! But I expected much better.
As someone who loved My Heart is a Chainsaw, I came in with high expectations. Instead, I found more things to nitpick about than I thought I would. On the other hand, because it feels so much like a transitional book, I can already tell that my opinions could change wildly depending on what happens in the last book of the trilogy, which I WILL be reading.
* The audiobook version is really good and the story absolutely benefits from the large cast. I started reading on ebook, then I switched format, and it was the better decision.
* Jade how I've missed you! She's tough and a delight and I love her. She had some lovely moments with Hardy also, and her grief for Mr Holmes rang so palpable and made me tear up a bit. Same for Hardy and Melanie. Jade and Letha had frustratingly few scenes one-on-one but were brilliant when they did. I was expecting more and in general I think we don't get enough about how / why / when they stayed or got back in touch and how that went down.
* The plot feels confusing and overwrought in parts, which definitely kept me on my toes and also makes the end-of-the-story twists satisfying ().
* The cast is bloated, and so is the pacing. I don't mind an ensemble, but I think the story suffered by not centering Jade more. Likewise, the frenzied pace is very much intentional, and I totally get why the author went that way, but I would have liked more to get settled into the current-day reality of the cast and setting before things started happening and didn't stop happening.
* The chaotic deathfest is a trademark of SGJ's style, and one I very much enjoy, but combined with a big cast AND POV fragmentation, it made hard for me to keep up with what was going on - for example, I absolutely missed and I had to go back and check; same with what went on with . It didn't help that my ebook edition had no breaks in between POV changes within the same chapter; the audiobook handles that better, and I wish I'd known it sooner.
* A LOT of how I feel about Jade's arc, and Letha's also, will depend on what goes down in the next book. They both feel like very different characters from the ones I absolutely loved in the first book, and while, again, 1) I get it!! and 2) it was obviously deliberate... I don't know yet how I feel about it. I will say that
* I'm VERY intrigued by Gal + whatever the fuck is going on with (being vague here) the twins. I loved the framing devices although (again being vague) the resolution of the entire 'new history teacher' subplot left me, again, frustrated. Book 3, I am placing SO many expectations on you.
* Jade does NOTHING to deter from my impression in the first book that Jade has a massive crush on Letha. That is my truth.
* THE WRITING! I shouldn't even say this if we're talking about a Stephen Graham Jones book but holy shit, I love me all this vivid, unsetting, lovingly described gore.
3.5, very frustrated, very optimistic, very bloodied stars
As someone who loved My Heart is a Chainsaw, I came in with high expectations. Instead, I found more things to nitpick about than I thought I would. On the other hand, because it feels so much like a transitional book, I can already tell that my opinions could change wildly depending on what happens in the last book of the trilogy, which I WILL be reading.
* The audiobook version is really good and the story absolutely benefits from the large cast. I started reading on ebook, then I switched format, and it was the better decision.
* Jade how I've missed you! She's tough and a delight and I love her. She had some lovely moments with Hardy also, and her grief for Mr Holmes rang so palpable and made me tear up a bit. Same for Hardy and Melanie. Jade and Letha had frustratingly few scenes one-on-one but were brilliant when they did. I was expecting more
Spoiler
from the revelation early in the book that Letha withdrew from Jade's defence case when she accused Theo* The plot feels confusing and overwrought in parts, which definitely kept me on my toes and also makes the end-of-the-story twists satisfying (
Spoiler
HELLO Cinnamon!* The cast is bloated, and so is the pacing. I don't mind an ensemble, but I think the story suffered by not centering Jade more. Likewise, the frenzied pace is very much intentional, and I totally get why the author went that way, but I would have liked more to get settled into the current-day reality of the cast and setting before things started happening and didn't stop happening.
* The chaotic deathfest is a trademark of SGJ's style, and one I very much enjoy, but combined with a big cast AND POV fragmentation, it made hard for me to keep up with what was going on - for example, I absolutely missed
Spoiler
Kimmy's deathSpoiler
Rexall before he reappeared at the end* A LOT of how I feel about Jade's arc, and Letha's also, will depend on what goes down in the next book. They both feel like very different characters from the ones I absolutely loved in the first book, and while, again, 1) I get it!! and 2) it was obviously deliberate... I don't know yet how I feel about it. I will say that
Spoiler
Letha being married with a toddler at 22 wasn't on my bingo card (I lovekey spent the entire book waiting for her husband to die and I wouldn't have been mad) and that Jade's ending left me very frustrated, but optimistic.* I'm VERY intrigued by Gal + whatever the fuck is going on with (being vague here) the twins. I loved the framing devices although (again being vague) the resolution of the entire 'new history teacher' subplot left me, again, frustrated. Book 3, I am placing SO many expectations on you.
* Jade
Spoiler
confessing she's broken the terms of her parole to take the fall instead of Letha's jock husband* THE WRITING! I shouldn't even say this if we're talking about a Stephen Graham Jones book but holy shit, I love me all this vivid, unsetting, lovingly described gore.
3.5, very frustrated, very optimistic, very bloodied stars
challenging
dark
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
jade daniels you will always be my favorite final girl
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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