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A review by sareidle
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I first heard of this book as the topic of an episode of the Overdue podcast. In episode 324, Andrew and Craig welcome Christina and Kamille of The Unfriendly Black Hotties. Christina and Kamille retell the story in such a fun and fast-paced way that I was hoping to experience better through reading the book.
While there are some darkly funny moments in Hex, such as comparing the witch's behavior to an old Windows operating system, I was honestly a bit bored while reading. Yes, the descriptions of violence and bodily harm to the residents and the witch were grotesque. But I was not scared to fall asleep or anything, and I am very jumpy when watching horror films. The concept of a town that has to keep a witch's curse secret in the 21st-century and the struggle of teenagers to accept that they are stuck in this town forever is compelling and unique. Additionally, the central characters of Robert Grimm, Griselda Holst, and Steve Grant had interesting motivations and I could understand their decisions. But the story still didn't feel fleshed out to me and I was left wanting more.
While there are some darkly funny moments in Hex, such as comparing the witch's behavior to an old Windows operating system, I was honestly a bit bored while reading. Yes, the descriptions of violence and bodily harm to the residents and the witch were grotesque. But I was not scared to fall asleep or anything, and I am very jumpy when watching horror films. The concept of a town that has to keep a witch's curse secret in the 21st-century and the struggle of teenagers to accept that they are stuck in this town forever is compelling and unique. Additionally, the central characters of Robert Grimm, Griselda Holst, and Steve Grant had interesting motivations and I could understand their decisions. But the story still didn't feel fleshed out to me and I was left wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment