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A review by elleisa
Spiteful, Sinister, Violent by Aiden E. Messer
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Spiteful, Sinister, Violent lives up to its name in Aiden E. Messer’s newest book. We are immediately thrown into the public corporal punishment of a main character. Tied to a pillory and publicly denounced sets the scene to how visceral this story will be. Theres a lot packed into its ~130 pages and is fast paced and intense from start to finish. Set in a post apocalyptic world with many original and unique elements.
The last few chapters were BRUTAL. A lot of very unique and new concepts were conjured up in Messer’s storytelling that wasn’t like anything I’ve read thus far. Which says a lot in the splatter scene!
The only components of Spiteful, Sinister, Violent I would have liked to see more of were world building and pacing. A lot of mentions of an earth changing event occurring, but not enough explanation on what happened and clarification as to why there were these various new terminologies/ways of life. In a lot of great ways it reminded me of The Last of Us, highlighting upon the ways that humans can be the biggest monsters of all, but also showing the tenderness of companionship in extremely high stress environments. More world building and slowing the story way down could have strengthened an already sound foundation.
Thank you to Aiden for this ARC and trusting me with your work! I look forward to seeing what else Messer’s mind can conjure up next!
3.5/5
The last few chapters were BRUTAL. A lot of very unique and new concepts were conjured up in Messer’s storytelling that wasn’t like anything I’ve read thus far. Which says a lot in the splatter scene!
The only components of Spiteful, Sinister, Violent I would have liked to see more of were world building and pacing. A lot of mentions of an earth changing event occurring, but not enough explanation on what happened and clarification as to why there were these various new terminologies/ways of life. In a lot of great ways it reminded me of The Last of Us, highlighting upon the ways that humans can be the biggest monsters of all, but also showing the tenderness of companionship in extremely high stress environments. More world building and slowing the story way down could have strengthened an already sound foundation.
Thank you to Aiden for this ARC and trusting me with your work! I look forward to seeing what else Messer’s mind can conjure up next!
3.5/5