Scan barcode
A review by michael_benavidez
Severed by Joshua Marsella
3.0
Labeled as a prequel to his debut Scratches, Severed reads as a separate book entirely.
Set in the midst of the Vietnam conflict we follow a group of troopers that are set on a side mission of ruin and horror.
Far less supernaturally driven than it's predecessor (but not without it's fantastical elements), Severed acts as any sequel/prequel does. It creates a more complex narrative with a larger cast, and more excitement/extremes that come with having the backdrop being in the midst of war.
Marsella's narrative writing has improved and developed. That's not to say Scratches was anything unspectacular, it was a fun read. But it's noticably smoother, and the story progresses rather seamlessly. And as a whole, the story is as fun as the first, a spine chilling tale of evil.
However because of its larger narrative scope, there are a few things that become apparent. While the narrative writing is stronger, it does feel like the dialogue among the cast is not so much weaker as it is the same? While each are obviously different individuals, they can get muddled and lost in the shuffle, trading barbs and cheese interchangeably. This isn't too big a deal, mostly a nitpick, as it fits the type of story it's in.
However reason that I dropped it to three stars was the final third. Everything goes crazy, as it's been leading up to, however the mysterious villain up to that point becomes a monologue creature and while it made sense, it sorta stalls the horror and creates a different sort of cheese we'd been exposed to up to that point.
And then there's the scene that rubbed me the wrong way. While I may have seen the sexual abuse in Scratches as a narrative and theme importance, here it's just a shock value to prove how vile the villain is. It didn't add to the story, it didn't do anything than be gratuitous. I didn't care for the ending.
Set in the midst of the Vietnam conflict we follow a group of troopers that are set on a side mission of ruin and horror.
Far less supernaturally driven than it's predecessor (but not without it's fantastical elements), Severed acts as any sequel/prequel does. It creates a more complex narrative with a larger cast, and more excitement/extremes that come with having the backdrop being in the midst of war.
Marsella's narrative writing has improved and developed. That's not to say Scratches was anything unspectacular, it was a fun read. But it's noticably smoother, and the story progresses rather seamlessly. And as a whole, the story is as fun as the first, a spine chilling tale of evil.
However because of its larger narrative scope, there are a few things that become apparent. While the narrative writing is stronger, it does feel like the dialogue among the cast is not so much weaker as it is the same? While each are obviously different individuals, they can get muddled and lost in the shuffle, trading barbs and cheese interchangeably. This isn't too big a deal, mostly a nitpick, as it fits the type of story it's in.
However reason that I dropped it to three stars was the final third. Everything goes crazy, as it's been leading up to, however the mysterious villain up to that point becomes a monologue creature and while it made sense, it sorta stalls the horror and creates a different sort of cheese we'd been exposed to up to that point.
And then there's the scene that rubbed me the wrong way. While I may have seen the sexual abuse in Scratches as a narrative and theme importance, here it's just a shock value to prove how vile the villain is. It didn't add to the story, it didn't do anything than be gratuitous. I didn't care for the ending.