A review by librarytribute
Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis

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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book in the end. I was originally scared this would fall into the failures of most written slashers I’ve read before, which tend to rely too heavily on the physicality of the slasher genre. Though this book plays with the shasher tropes I think it navigates our main character’s mind in such a way that lends itself to suspense and it really kept me engaged. I loved the underlying conversation around the consumption of true crime media and how it painted all of Temple’s interactions with her peers. Her distrust and jaded outlook was a great tool for the narrative to keep you guessing. I genuinely felt frustration and anger on her behalf, separate from the plot of the book and Temple’s own temper was something that made her feel really complex, you could tell she was just a girl putting up a wall to keep herself safe even as she firmly roots herself as an outsider (which can read a bit ‘not like other girls’ but the way Sami Ellis deals with Temple’s anger does a good enough job offsetting it for me.) 

Even though I thought the tension of the narrative overall was really enjoyable I do feel like some of the character interactions in the beginning felt weak and rushed which kind of affected the way I felt towards the middle and end when consequences started happening. I could have been more attached to some of these characters over all and it would have felt more weighty when you see choices being made towards the climax. This was definitely a plot-driven story which may not check boxes for people looking for a lot of heavy lifting from the characters.

If you liked the survival aspects of Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly DeVos and the vibes of 80/90s slashers with a twist, I’d definitely recommend Dead Girls Walking. 

 
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