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creolelitbelle 's review for:
Final Cut
by Olivia Worley
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An exceptional page-turner of a thriller that brings the slasher subgenre in horror to life with true sensory writing and characters who question everything they think they know.
I love the alt chapters that give extra insight into the story and distinct POVs aside from Haze's. The dramatic irony created by that somehow increases the sense of foreboding when scenes jump back to Haze and the other cast and crew members of Swamp Creatures. Suspicions for who could be killed next or who might be behind everything also raised, thanks to those little alt chapters. Repeatedly, I found myself fussing at the characters because of information I had that they lacked.
Authors like Worley who are from southern Louisiana bring the unique setting to life like others cannot. Everything from the drive time traveling between Pensacola and Pine Springs to the humid environment's impact on how quickly characters sweat is accurate. I felt like I was there in the little town at the edge of swampland and could easily imagine sitting in the old diner.
Overall, the book moves along very quickly. Titling each chapter as a movie scene, even the ones outside of the scripted parts, drops the reader directly into the action with little need for basic explanations for transitions between locations and times of day. I love how the only times we move with characters from one place to the next is when tension builds for understanding what is happening or restructuring memories of the past. Nearly all characters being unknown to each other gives great opportunity to learn who everyone is gradually and wonder who is hiding what. Cameron, Nina, Brooke, and Lucas felt the most friendly for Haze as part of the core cast, but between the weird phone calls, events in the alt chapters, and strange occurrences on set with ample chances for the perpetrator to hide in secluded areas, like Haze, I kept wondering who to trust until the very end...including motivations for the original murders and confession.
Much thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the alt chapters that give extra insight into the story and distinct POVs aside from Haze's. The dramatic irony created by that somehow increases the sense of foreboding when scenes jump back to Haze and the other cast and crew members of Swamp Creatures. Suspicions for who could be killed next or who might be behind everything also raised, thanks to those little alt chapters. Repeatedly, I found myself fussing at the characters because of information I had that they lacked.
Authors like Worley who are from southern Louisiana bring the unique setting to life like others cannot. Everything from the drive time traveling between Pensacola and Pine Springs to the humid environment's impact on how quickly characters sweat is accurate. I felt like I was there in the little town at the edge of swampland and could easily imagine sitting in the old diner.
Overall, the book moves along very quickly. Titling each chapter as a movie scene, even the ones outside of the scripted parts, drops the reader directly into the action with little need for basic explanations for transitions between locations and times of day. I love how the only times we move with characters from one place to the next is when tension builds for understanding what is happening or restructuring memories of the past. Nearly all characters being unknown to each other gives great opportunity to learn who everyone is gradually and wonder who is hiding what. Cameron, Nina, Brooke, and Lucas felt the most friendly for Haze as part of the core cast, but between the weird phone calls, events in the alt chapters, and strange occurrences on set with ample chances for the perpetrator to hide in secluded areas, like Haze, I kept wondering who to trust until the very end...including motivations for the original murders and confession.
Much thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Stalking
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief