A review by shysheepys
Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really, really enjoyed reading this. Getting in the mindset of a teenager, on the verge of losing their friends to college, but seemingly distracted by the possibility of their local plaything coming to life was crazy. Reading the MC's rationalizations about why they did what they did was so interesting, gives a new perspective on how things are handled. Having read Stephen Graham Jones' My Heart Is a Chainsaw first, you can definately tell that it is the same writer (in a good way!) I also appreciated that this was short and sweet.

Only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is a spoiler:
I didn't like that Shanna just magically wasn't dead. It does give us the same shock that the MC feels when we realize that she was alive. But why didn't she come out of hiding beforehand? Before she knew her friends were dying, why would she have stayed in the woods? Why would she randomly come out later? That part was off putting in my opinion. How did she even avoid getting killed by the semi??
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