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A review by savvyrosereads
Final Girls by Riley Sager
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Quincy was the sole survivor of a massacre at Pine Cottage, placing her in the ranks of the “Final Girls”—women who lived through mass murder attempts—but she has no memory of the events of that night. When the first Final Girl, Lisa, is found dead, Quincy is pushed into a journey that will ultimately lead her to the truth, but may just put her in a murderer’s crosshairs once again.
I’m a big Riley Sager fan and I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one, so I was super excited to get started—especially as the synopsis seemed to promise a great slasher/horror movie vibe. But, as much as I enjoyed the writing, the first 2/3 of the book wasn’t really what I expected, and I felt like the plot dragged a bit. I wasn’t quite bored, but I wasn’t quite as entertained as I wanted to be, either.
That said, the book shifted into an entirely different tone for the final 1/3, and I flew through the ending, which I really enjoyed! Overall, if you want a unique, well-written thriller that is a fairly quick read, this is a good choice! Just make sure you hang in until the end to get the full pay-off of the plot and reveals.
Recommended for anyone, but especially if you like: slasher thriller but make it a slow burn; women finding their power; unlikable/morally gray characters.
CW: Blood/death/murder; mentions of sexual assault/child sexual abuse; mental illness/trauma/self-medication; discussion of suicide.
Quincy was the sole survivor of a massacre at Pine Cottage, placing her in the ranks of the “Final Girls”—women who lived through mass murder attempts—but she has no memory of the events of that night. When the first Final Girl, Lisa, is found dead, Quincy is pushed into a journey that will ultimately lead her to the truth, but may just put her in a murderer’s crosshairs once again.
I’m a big Riley Sager fan and I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one, so I was super excited to get started—especially as the synopsis seemed to promise a great slasher/horror movie vibe. But, as much as I enjoyed the writing, the first 2/3 of the book wasn’t really what I expected, and I felt like the plot dragged a bit. I wasn’t quite bored, but I wasn’t quite as entertained as I wanted to be, either.
That said, the book shifted into an entirely different tone for the final 1/3, and I flew through the ending, which I really enjoyed! Overall, if you want a unique, well-written thriller that is a fairly quick read, this is a good choice! Just make sure you hang in until the end to get the full pay-off of the plot and reveals.
Recommended for anyone, but especially if you like: slasher thriller but make it a slow burn; women finding their power; unlikable/morally gray characters.
CW: Blood/death/murder; mentions of sexual assault/child sexual abuse; mental illness/trauma/self-medication; discussion of suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization