A review by chloseencounter
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

dark mysterious tense 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

3.5

I picked this book up skeptical of what it may actually be like considering it’s a YA novel about a clown and I was more than pleasantly surprised. As a fan of the slasher genre I never would’ve expected a book labeled YA to be so outwardly violent but I thought some of these kills were gnarly and fun, I also enjoyed that it become almost survival horror as we watched our main character turn into an absolute badass. This book was quick paced and exciting but also an interesting statement about how generations progress and change but sometimes our elders can’t let the old ways go.
There was even a bit where the sheriff blamed the teens of the towns bad behavior on “growing up too fast” even though I’m sure we’re all aware that children really only grow up too fast when they’re made to (usually by adults in their lives). Cole makes a wonderful statement about how the generations before him laid out the world they live in now and then are angry at the children for learning to live in it in their own way.
I will definitely be picking up the sequel to this novel asap.
I also could not have been happier when they revealed Rust and Cole had feelings for each other, I kept wondering what the hell was up with them but that was so much better a conclusion than I expected.
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