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A review by themermaddie
Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
4.0
"We're sure as hell something," Hardy says, and works his pack up from his chest pocket, shakes a smoke out for Jade, and takes one himself. When his old fingers can't get his match going, Jade takes over, lights hers, then lights his off of hers.
"Jennifer goddamn Daniels," Hardy finally says.
"It's Jade, sir," Jade says back, and breathes all the corruption in her lungs out. Well, not the blackness, she supposes. Not the horror, never that.
goddamn what sequel, sgj just doesn't miss. i was so happy to be back in Proofrock again, back with Jade and Letha in the aftermath of Chainsaw. although i think i admittedly liked Chainsaw more, Reaper was absolutely still worth my while. the entire book was so fast paced, like the entire thing is the last 30 minutes of a slasher movie, so heart-racing and plot twisting. i will say that Reaper was a harder book for me to follow, which i think is probably because of the switching povs instead of Jade's singular pov in Chainsaw, and the fact that there were so many goddamn twists that i'm tbh not entirely sure where everyone ended up by the end. that being said i did enjoy getting to hear the other characters' thoughts, especially Letha. i loved seeing her dealing with the aftermath of Chainsaw, and appreciate that sgj never shies away from the brutal horror of the trauma of survival. as always, his blood and gore is EXCELLENT and i loved seeing jade get her feet back into it. she's *growing*!
and the town grows with her too! i liked the other povs because it felt like the town expanded, everyone feels more like a cast of characters rather than background nuisances in Jade's story, so it felt like it mattered more when they died. no one was off limits, everyone was on the chopping block, so many people died. i can't wait for the last book.
also i just need to say that the most extreme response that this book evoked in me was actually the very last line of the author's note, which i was listening to while on a walk and it made me so emotional that i had to stop to cry, tears falling absolutely unbidden.
"Jennifer goddamn Daniels," Hardy finally says.
"It's Jade, sir," Jade says back, and breathes all the corruption in her lungs out. Well, not the blackness, she supposes. Not the horror, never that.
goddamn what sequel, sgj just doesn't miss. i was so happy to be back in Proofrock again, back with Jade and Letha in the aftermath of Chainsaw. although i think i admittedly liked Chainsaw more, Reaper was absolutely still worth my while. the entire book was so fast paced, like the entire thing is the last 30 minutes of a slasher movie, so heart-racing and plot twisting. i will say that Reaper was a harder book for me to follow, which i think is probably because of the switching povs instead of Jade's singular pov in Chainsaw, and the fact that there were so many goddamn twists that i'm tbh not entirely sure where everyone ended up by the end. that being said i did enjoy getting to hear the other characters' thoughts, especially Letha. i loved seeing her dealing with the aftermath of Chainsaw, and appreciate that sgj never shies away from the brutal horror of the trauma of survival. as always, his blood and gore is EXCELLENT and i loved seeing jade get her feet back into it. she's *growing*!
and the town grows with her too! i liked the other povs because it felt like the town expanded, everyone feels more like a cast of characters rather than background nuisances in Jade's story, so it felt like it mattered more when they died. no one was off limits, everyone was on the chopping block, so many people died. i can't wait for the last book.
also i just need to say that the most extreme response that this book evoked in me was actually the very last line of the author's note, which i was listening to while on a walk and it made me so emotional that i had to stop to cry, tears falling absolutely unbidden.
Thanks finally, always and forever, to my beautiful wife, Nancy: I told you a dream I had once that being dead wasn't actually death, it just meant you and me get to hold hands and roller skate all through the college campus we met on, forever. Yeah, the reaper's coming for us all, there's nothing we can really do about that, but if I do get to roller skate into eternity holding your hand, then there really isn't anything to be scared of, is there? Here, take my hand, I want to be sure not to lose you.