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A review by salutemviv
As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this book was… something.
(general spoiler-ish content ahead)
i had put off reading the third installment of agggtm for a while after hearing how dark it was compared to the first two, but eventually curiosity/fomo got the better of me. so i decided to pick it up.
knowing in advance that the book had a much darker tone, and that pip would be out of character probably helped prepare me to read this. i think if i had gone in blind i would have been much more upset about how the story unfolded.
that being said, i still have very mixed feelings. from a story perspective, i will probably want to forget that any of this is canon because i absolutely hate what pip turned into. without saying too much, a lot of the plot felt very outlandish, out of character. was it somewhat enjoyable because of how fast paced and crazy it was? oh definitely. but on a moral basis i fundamentally disagree with pretty much all of what happens in the second half.
however, turning on my literary analysis brain that LOVES to read into themes and character studies and all that jazz: i think in a way, the overarching plot of the trilogy was probably intended from the very beginning. the first book established pip as a “good girl” who gets straight a’s and makes all the right choices. very black and white. but as she gets more involved in this world of crime, lines begin to blur. where she once saw justice and truth as black and white (represented in the justice system), she sees the flaws in the people and systems around her, blurring those into gray. and the black and white of her character muddles into gray right along with them in this story, representing her loss of hope and faith in the concreteness of good and bad.
so from that perspective, i do appreciate pip’s character development and what holly jackson did with this story.
still- my heart hates everything that happened and it hurts for ravi because he is probably the most good character and he didn’t deserve it.
so in conclusion, my feelings about this book are definitely not black and white either LOL. if i were to rate it on a pure enjoyment/subjective likability level, it would probably be 2 stars. but the metaphorical themes bump it up to a 3 because im a literary nerd too.
(general spoiler-ish content ahead)
i had put off reading the third installment of agggtm for a while after hearing how dark it was compared to the first two, but eventually curiosity/fomo got the better of me. so i decided to pick it up.
knowing in advance that the book had a much darker tone, and that pip would be out of character probably helped prepare me to read this. i think if i had gone in blind i would have been much more upset about how the story unfolded.
that being said, i still have very mixed feelings. from a story perspective, i will probably want to forget that any of this is canon because i absolutely hate what pip turned into. without saying too much, a lot of the plot felt very outlandish, out of character. was it somewhat enjoyable because of how fast paced and crazy it was? oh definitely. but on a moral basis i fundamentally disagree with pretty much all of what happens in the second half.
however, turning on my literary analysis brain that LOVES to read into themes and character studies and all that jazz: i think in a way, the overarching plot of the trilogy was probably intended from the very beginning. the first book established pip as a “good girl” who gets straight a’s and makes all the right choices. very black and white. but as she gets more involved in this world of crime, lines begin to blur. where she once saw justice and truth as black and white (represented in the justice system), she sees the flaws in the people and systems around her, blurring those into gray. and the black and white of her character muddles into gray right along with them in this story, representing her loss of hope and faith in the concreteness of good and bad.
so from that perspective, i do appreciate pip’s character development and what holly jackson did with this story.
still- my heart hates everything that happened and it hurts for ravi because he is probably the most good character and he didn’t deserve it.
so in conclusion, my feelings about this book are definitely not black and white either LOL. if i were to rate it on a pure enjoyment/subjective likability level, it would probably be 2 stars. but the metaphorical themes bump it up to a 3 because im a literary nerd too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Stalking