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A review by galaxywitch
The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a girl, Sabrina’s summer camp experience took a dark turn when her friends were brutally murdered in front of her. Ever since, she’s been followed by strange voices and visions of a dark, twisted world, the Other Place. Her therapist thinks these visions are caused by PTSD, and Sabrina has done everything she can to put her experiences behind her to live a normal life. She has a boyfriend, hobbies, and friends, and even changed her name to hide her past. But the voices and visions still creep in if she’s not careful. When her boyfriend, Lucas, guilts her into going on a camping trip, the hallucinations get worse. But are they really hallucinations, or does something darker have its eye on Sabrina?
I really enjoyed The Mean Ones! It’s fast-paced, suspenseful, and engaging. I sped through this book in what felt like no time! It’s a summer camp slasher mixed with supernatural elements, which I found really fun. At the same time, the book explores identity and finding the strength to be your own authentic self instead of what everyone else (in this case, middle school girls and a toxic boyfriend) wants you to be.
The story is told across two timelines. One follows Sabrina as a child at summer camp, and the other follows her in the new life she’s built. I found both timelines equally enjoyable. I thought Sabrina was easy to relate to and I enjoyed her character, but the side characters in this book were kind of shallow. It was clear to me really quickly if I was supposed to like or not like a character, and they didn’t really have much more depth to them. I do think the side characters served their purpose in the story well, so the characters weren’t a huge issue for me, I just wish some of them had a little more substance to them.
The story is pretty bloody, so be warned if you’re not a fan of gore! It wasn’t that bad, but there are definitely some scenes that are gorey and gross.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Mean Ones! If you’re a fan of horror I recommend checking it out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Creature Publishing for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my unbiased review.
I really enjoyed The Mean Ones! It’s fast-paced, suspenseful, and engaging. I sped through this book in what felt like no time! It’s a summer camp slasher mixed with supernatural elements, which I found really fun. At the same time, the book explores identity and finding the strength to be your own authentic self instead of what everyone else (in this case, middle school girls and a toxic boyfriend) wants you to be.
The story is told across two timelines. One follows Sabrina as a child at summer camp, and the other follows her in the new life she’s built. I found both timelines equally enjoyable. I thought Sabrina was easy to relate to and I enjoyed her character, but the side characters in this book were kind of shallow. It was clear to me really quickly if I was supposed to like or not like a character, and they didn’t really have much more depth to them. I do think the side characters served their purpose in the story well, so the characters weren’t a huge issue for me, I just wish some of them had a little more substance to them.
The story is pretty bloody, so be warned if you’re not a fan of gore! It wasn’t that bad, but there are definitely some scenes that are gorey and gross.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Mean Ones! If you’re a fan of horror I recommend checking it out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Creature Publishing for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my unbiased review.