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degroovy's reviews
3 reviews
Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Dead Eleven disappointed me in a lot of ways. I was immediately drawn in by the interesting retro looking cover, which is how I usually pick up most of my random buys. I thought the idea of an island obsessed with the 1990s bolstered by a unique way of telling the story through newspaper snippets, flashbacks, text conversations, etc could yield an interesting cult-like story.
Unfortunately it all just pretty much turned out to be a gimmick that was under baked and really didn't have too much weight on the plot. The characters are also paper thin, I feel like the book is telling us why we should be rooting for Harper, Lily, and Willow but not SHOWING us why we should, they don't progress in any definable way and I found them extremely forgettable.
I also thought the pacing was pretty rough, every time I put it down I had a very, very difficult time finding the willpower to pick it up again. It was especially bad around the middle of the novel with information that we already know being rehashed through various mediums for at least 150 pages or so. I really feel like if DE had been better edited there might be a somewhat more interesting, better paced quick mystery but it's easily at least 100 pages too long and by the end it was a real slog to finish. There are some tense scenes that are done fairly well so I do want to give credit to the author but a lot of the tension vanishes fairly quickly within a few pages.
Unfortunately it all just pretty much turned out to be a gimmick that was under baked and really didn't have too much weight on the plot. The characters are also paper thin, I feel like the book is telling us why we should be rooting for Harper, Lily, and Willow but not SHOWING us why we should, they don't progress in any definable way and I found them extremely forgettable.
I also thought the pacing was pretty rough, every time I put it down I had a very, very difficult time finding the willpower to pick it up again. It was especially bad around the middle of the novel with information that we already know being rehashed through various mediums for at least 150 pages or so. I really feel like if DE had been better edited there might be a somewhat more interesting, better paced quick mystery but it's easily at least 100 pages too long and by the end it was a real slog to finish. There are some tense scenes that are done fairly well so I do want to give credit to the author but a lot of the tension vanishes fairly quickly within a few pages.
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The first thing that grabbed my attention about this book was the cover. The VHS throwback aesthetic on the front, back, and spine immediately jumped out from all the rest on the table at Barnes & Noble and reeled me in. Not only that but it also really set the stage for the rest of the story.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a fun, exciting, scary romp through a classic '80s ghost/demon story that pays homage to its roots without overindulging in nostalgia, a balance that's difficult to strike. All throughout, the prose is snappy, utilizing very palpable, very effective descriptors, metaphors, and similes. It wastes no time in enjoying the familiar tropes of its genre without burning paragraphs; the 1980s setting and linguistics were in top form and the way in which high school life was described was so accurate that it gave me flashbacks, which was the TRUE horror of this story (for me).
The characters are very well written and are easily the best part of the story throughout. I wouldn't say they grow and evolve and have a grandiose character arc but you're seeing them all in a very specific slice of time and the way in which everyone acts and reacts is consistent with how they're presented. The book immediately starts strong by introducing the two main girls and expands on their relationship as the book goes on. They feel alive as real world things that would be of concern to teenagers in the 80s are seeded in. Things like difficult home lives, acne, the drudgery of homework, the disbelief and social isolation surrounding r*pe accusations, all while struggling to grow up in picture perfect neighborhoods where appearance matters more than fact.
On that topic, I really enjoyed the way in which demonic possession and the way it's handled by the characters in the story mirrors the real life public denial toward survivors of r*pe as well as survivors of sexual or religious trauma. It was a clear parallel and a very effective one at that.
Even though I enjoyed the characters a lot, that's not at the expense of the book's plot, there were plenty of moments that had me gagging. Scenes like throwing up feathers, the expulsion of enormous tapeworms from a character, and the murder of a family dog are all described so well and yet are so fleet in word, each moment not taking up more time than it needs to all while enhancing the horror of the moment. And thanks to how quickly the book pulls you into its characters, even the quieter moments are enjoyable and even relatable, such as when Abby gets isolated from Gretchen and the rest of her friends as she starts to realize what's going on or when Abby, in a fit of rage, destroys her momentos of Gretchen, not just standing in as a metaphor for her friendship, but her relationship to the past as well. It was quite sad to me.
All these wonderful ingredients coalesce into a climax that it's equal parts scary, gross, powerful, and sad...but also a little familiar. If you've seen a movie involving an exorcism, I'm afraid you've seen the climax to My Best Friend's Exorcism, unfortunately. Abby links up with a naive preacher who's looking to make Gretchen his first big religious score and treats her condition more like an event than the horror it really is. And in the climax, his flaws are exposed. From there Abby takes over the exorcism but instead of calling to a God she doesn't believe in like the preacher, she prays to all the past, most tender moments of their friendship, believing in the strength of their bond. So, while it is a climax that is commonly trod ground in so many exorcism stories, the thorough character work steps in to give a nice little wrinkle to the formula. In the end, though, the preacher faces a redemption all his own, sacrificing himself in an unexpected way for Abby.
As for the demon itself, I'm not going to spoil too much but I would say Grady Hendrix has done his homework, especially with the vomiting of feathers and the presence of owls.
The ending was wonderful and bittersweet and had me thinking off all my dear friends, the ones I frequently contact, and the ones who could use a bit of warming up so to speak. I greatly enjoyed the final chapter. But I'm also not entirely sure if that was how the story should've ended. It's fairly realistic and believable...but in a book that lovingly plays into tropes and knows what it is, I can't help but wonder if there's a slightly more fitting ending somewhere out there in the ether.
All in all it was a really entertaining read. Only once or twice did I feel myself directly called back to the pages to figure out what would happen next. But when I did make the time for it, it kept me in my seat.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a fun, exciting, scary romp through a classic '80s ghost/demon story that pays homage to its roots without overindulging in nostalgia, a balance that's difficult to strike. All throughout, the prose is snappy, utilizing very palpable, very effective descriptors, metaphors, and similes. It wastes no time in enjoying the familiar tropes of its genre without burning paragraphs; the 1980s setting and linguistics were in top form and the way in which high school life was described was so accurate that it gave me flashbacks, which was the TRUE horror of this story (for me).
The characters are very well written and are easily the best part of the story throughout. I wouldn't say they grow and evolve and have a grandiose character arc but you're seeing them all in a very specific slice of time and the way in which everyone acts and reacts is consistent with how they're presented. The book immediately starts strong by introducing the two main girls and expands on their relationship as the book goes on. They feel alive as real world things that would be of concern to teenagers in the 80s are seeded in. Things like difficult home lives, acne, the drudgery of homework, the disbelief and social isolation surrounding r*pe accusations, all while struggling to grow up in picture perfect neighborhoods where appearance matters more than fact.
On that topic, I really enjoyed the way in which demonic possession and the way it's handled by the characters in the story mirrors the real life public denial toward survivors of r*pe as well as survivors of sexual or religious trauma. It was a clear parallel and a very effective one at that.
Even though I enjoyed the characters a lot, that's not at the expense of the book's plot, there were plenty of moments that had me gagging. Scenes like throwing up feathers, the expulsion of enormous tapeworms from a character, and the murder of a family dog are all described so well and yet are so fleet in word, each moment not taking up more time than it needs to all while enhancing the horror of the moment. And thanks to how quickly the book pulls you into its characters, even the quieter moments are enjoyable and even relatable, such as when Abby gets isolated from Gretchen and the rest of her friends as she starts to realize what's going on or when Abby, in a fit of rage, destroys her momentos of Gretchen, not just standing in as a metaphor for her friendship, but her relationship to the past as well. It was quite sad to me.
All these wonderful ingredients coalesce into a climax that it's equal parts scary, gross, powerful, and sad...but also a little familiar. If you've seen a movie involving an exorcism, I'm afraid you've seen the climax to My Best Friend's Exorcism, unfortunately. Abby links up with a naive preacher who's looking to make Gretchen his first big religious score and treats her condition more like an event than the horror it really is. And in the climax, his flaws are exposed. From there Abby takes over the exorcism but instead of calling to a God she doesn't believe in like the preacher, she prays to all the past, most tender moments of their friendship, believing in the strength of their bond. So, while it is a climax that is commonly trod ground in so many exorcism stories, the thorough character work steps in to give a nice little wrinkle to the formula. In the end, though, the preacher faces a redemption all his own, sacrificing himself in an unexpected way for Abby.
As for the demon itself, I'm not going to spoil too much but I would say Grady Hendrix has done his homework, especially with the vomiting of feathers and the presence of owls.
The ending was wonderful and bittersweet and had me thinking off all my dear friends, the ones I frequently contact, and the ones who could use a bit of warming up so to speak. I greatly enjoyed the final chapter. But I'm also not entirely sure if that was how the story should've ended. It's fairly realistic and believable...but in a book that lovingly plays into tropes and knows what it is, I can't help but wonder if there's a slightly more fitting ending somewhere out there in the ether.
All in all it was a really entertaining read. Only once or twice did I feel myself directly called back to the pages to figure out what would happen next. But when I did make the time for it, it kept me in my seat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
My feelings on this book are complicated. I really enjoy that it handles LGBTQIA+characters and addresses gay awakenings which is always fun for those of us not on the straight and narrow so to speak. Horror has always been a home for people of alternate personalities to the status quo so it's nice to have the queer relationship of Dani and Willow be front and center. I thought they were pretty well handled and I cared about them. I thought the twist was going to be what Willow tweeted out to get canceled but the real twist to me was immediately afterward when we found out that it was Dani's fault. I actually gasped! I found Willow to be pretty relatable, especially as we get into her headspace about struggling to maintain a life that is perceived by others and a life that she truly wants to live, especially concerning her personality and sexuality.
The plot and setting are pretty fun, too. Very evocative of classic "ol'-reliable" horror conventions such as campgrounds in the woods and a mysterious killer offing the campers. But the construction of it all feels...lacking, empty. There are social media, newspaper, and blog interludes that spoon feed us background information that are actually pretty fun and inventive and the killer of Knock-Knock Nancy is equally fun, drawing a clear inspiration from the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow fame, right down to stuffing people's heads into a bag ala the 1999 film. But I found the characters outside Willow, Dani, Bebe, and maybe Kurt to be pretty two dimensional, especially Misty who serves as our normative antagonist but really only serves to piss off Willow and nothing else of much substance.
The dialogue these characters say is pretty fair...when it's not being contemporary. And Heads Will Roll is AGGRESSIVELY contemporary, constantly using films for metaphors such as The Shining, Bojack Horseman, Friday the 13th, The Parent Trap, and Alien. There were many more, I just stopped counting after the first few chapters. On one hand, it makes a measure of sense to have so many film references as the story is written in second person from Willow's POV and she grew up in the film industry so that's her lens of experience. On the other hand, it gets really tiring really fast and robs the story of description and emotion that might be preferable to sub in. Additionally, they speak in no way any young adult would speak, even for satirical tropes. They're constantly puking up things like "hashtag no filter", "group therapy noob", and other out of date internet language from the 2010s era. It looks and feels like it was written by someone in their early 30s who thinks they remember how social media starlets and internet dwellers talk and reminds me of that "how do you do fellow kids" Steve Buscemi scene from 30 Rock. That leads me to my next point.
Cancel culture is a big topic in this book and my feelings on it are mixed at best, not addressing the concept of cancel culture to begin with. It's the central driver for plot but only pops up when the plot needs it - when Willow reflects on her own cancellation or when another character haphazardly mentions the concept of cancel culture. It all comes out of nowhere every time and it's very grating when things get moving emotionally only to be stopped by the author soapboxing on cancel culture. I can tell the author is trying to make a positive point but it's so shallow that it honestly feels like lip service or even a derogatory parody, which I'm pretty sure isn't the intention. It's very ham fisted and distracting.
It's frustrating because there's really good, fun prose sprinkled throughout like "crack open her skull and paddle in her brain" yet it's contrasted against the most verbose dialogue. I feel like the pace was extremely janky too. It's only around 300 pages yet whenever I sat down to read it, it was an extremely sluggish experience and I felt like I was making absolutely no headway, even when I was 200 pages deep.
The twist with Kurt also fell flat for me, I thought it was extremely unnecessary and robs Willow of the final girl-esque catharsis that she kept going on about the entire novel, which is part of why the ending felt emotionally unresolved to me. It might have worked better thematically to have Willow kill the preacher to rest her trauma with religious zealotry, cancel culture, and seize her own agency and have the three primary LGBTQIA+ characters survive as a thematic juxtaposition regarding minorities that are often tormented and harassed in the religious or online spaces.
Again, I didn't hate this book, it was just fine and I found a lot to nitpick. It had some things going but it feels very undercooked to me. However, I should reiterate that the setting is really fun and so is the killer. The final revelation of the preacher at his home in the woods with the wicker statues is very creepy and very effective. The book also does a good job of luring you into a false sense of security so the bloodbath toward the end when all your favs start getting killed off en masse hits extra hard, it was a spectacularly fun moment to read.
So all in all, not horrible. Just a very mixed bag of half stale, half fresh campfire marshmallows.
The plot and setting are pretty fun, too. Very evocative of classic "ol'-reliable" horror conventions such as campgrounds in the woods and a mysterious killer offing the campers. But the construction of it all feels...lacking, empty. There are social media, newspaper, and blog interludes that spoon feed us background information that are actually pretty fun and inventive and the killer of Knock-Knock Nancy is equally fun, drawing a clear inspiration from the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow fame, right down to stuffing people's heads into a bag ala the 1999 film. But I found the characters outside Willow, Dani, Bebe, and maybe Kurt to be pretty two dimensional, especially Misty who serves as our normative antagonist but really only serves to piss off Willow and nothing else of much substance.
The dialogue these characters say is pretty fair...when it's not being contemporary. And Heads Will Roll is AGGRESSIVELY contemporary, constantly using films for metaphors such as The Shining, Bojack Horseman, Friday the 13th, The Parent Trap, and Alien. There were many more, I just stopped counting after the first few chapters. On one hand, it makes a measure of sense to have so many film references as the story is written in second person from Willow's POV and she grew up in the film industry so that's her lens of experience. On the other hand, it gets really tiring really fast and robs the story of description and emotion that might be preferable to sub in. Additionally, they speak in no way any young adult would speak, even for satirical tropes. They're constantly puking up things like "hashtag no filter", "group therapy noob", and other out of date internet language from the 2010s era. It looks and feels like it was written by someone in their early 30s who thinks they remember how social media starlets and internet dwellers talk and reminds me of that "how do you do fellow kids" Steve Buscemi scene from 30 Rock. That leads me to my next point.
Cancel culture is a big topic in this book and my feelings on it are mixed at best, not addressing the concept of cancel culture to begin with. It's the central driver for plot but only pops up when the plot needs it - when Willow reflects on her own cancellation or when another character haphazardly mentions the concept of cancel culture. It all comes out of nowhere every time and it's very grating when things get moving emotionally only to be stopped by the author soapboxing on cancel culture. I can tell the author is trying to make a positive point but it's so shallow that it honestly feels like lip service or even a derogatory parody, which I'm pretty sure isn't the intention. It's very ham fisted and distracting.
It's frustrating because there's really good, fun prose sprinkled throughout like "crack open her skull and paddle in her brain" yet it's contrasted against the most verbose dialogue. I feel like the pace was extremely janky too. It's only around 300 pages yet whenever I sat down to read it, it was an extremely sluggish experience and I felt like I was making absolutely no headway, even when I was 200 pages deep.
The twist with Kurt also fell flat for me, I thought it was extremely unnecessary and robs Willow of the final girl-esque catharsis that she kept going on about the entire novel, which is part of why the ending felt emotionally unresolved to me. It might have worked better thematically to have Willow kill the preacher to rest her trauma with religious zealotry, cancel culture, and seize her own agency and have the three primary LGBTQIA+ characters survive as a thematic juxtaposition regarding minorities that are often tormented and harassed in the religious or online spaces.
Again, I didn't hate this book, it was just fine and I found a lot to nitpick. It had some things going but it feels very undercooked to me. However, I should reiterate that the setting is really fun and so is the killer. The final revelation of the preacher at his home in the woods with the wicker statues is very creepy and very effective. The book also does a good job of luring you into a false sense of security so the bloodbath toward the end when all your favs start getting killed off en masse hits extra hard, it was a spectacularly fun moment to read.
So all in all, not horrible. Just a very mixed bag of half stale, half fresh campfire marshmallows.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Murder