Scan barcode
saralovesbajablast's review
2.0
The overall idea of this book interested me not just as a horror lover but a former retail worker. A group of employees surviving the night in a grocery store while their satanic competitor tries to kill them all is something i can honestly say i’ve never read before. Some of my favorite books are ones where the entire plot takes place in one night and this book doesn’t disappoint. The book is filled with non stop gore and violence in ways i couldn’t even imagine. At no point did i know what was coming next and i was constantly guessing who would survive the night.
With that being said this book is not for me. There are some elements that interested me but what ruins the overall experience is the inclusion of children. I’ve read horror books where children are present but i don’t think this should be one of them or at the very least i think maybe a little less….involvement. There is one specific section of the book that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and i think without it this easily could have been a 4/5 star read for me.
With that being said this book is not for me. There are some elements that interested me but what ruins the overall experience is the inclusion of children. I’ve read horror books where children are present but i don’t think this should be one of them or at the very least i think maybe a little less….involvement. There is one specific section of the book that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and i think without it this easily could have been a 4/5 star read for me.
fullmooneaters's review
4.0
This book had no right to be as funny as it was, I mean, seriously, I was giggling to myself multiple times while reading it. This was such a fun read (for the most part), and I’m pretty sad to say I ignored this book for far too long. Having four years of retail under my belt and now working in a call center, I could really relate with all the retail and customer service quips and jokes. I also adored all the music, movie, and media Easter eggs. My favorite joke was when the one guy had to go home and change his shirt cuz someone else was wearing the same one.
The characters were fun and full of variety, just like working in retail. All the reminders of my old work buddies makes me almost want to go back. Almost. Not really.
The writing style was very smooth and easily digestible, yet didn’t feel too watered down or simplified. I quite enjoyed this duo’s story, no matter how ridiculous. I want more extreme horror books with utterly absurd plots like this! I mean, a whole chain of satanic grocery stores, and they have a regional manager, and competing with their other stores in the chain? I loved that. So funny.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is that the scene with the three kids was not good and unnecessary, and the one child’s death at the hands of the demon guy really soured my mood. I don’t like it when that sort of thing is used when it literally does nothing for the plot. I don’t enjoy it period, but It doesn’t affect my rating or enjoyment of a novel because it can be needed. This was not needed, at all. No point, not even with the little end bit. There was no point, and the little smirk that was on my face through reading this whole book faded when I got to that part. I’m subtracting a star for that scene alone, even if it wasn’t detailed at all.
Other than the aforementioned, this was a super entertaining and fun read. I enjoyed myself way too much, and laughed more than I should have considering the subject matter.
The characters were fun and full of variety, just like working in retail. All the reminders of my old work buddies makes me almost want to go back. Almost. Not really.
The writing style was very smooth and easily digestible, yet didn’t feel too watered down or simplified. I quite enjoyed this duo’s story, no matter how ridiculous. I want more extreme horror books with utterly absurd plots like this! I mean, a whole chain of satanic grocery stores, and they have a regional manager, and competing with their other stores in the chain? I loved that. So funny.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is that the scene with the three kids was not good and unnecessary, and the one child’s death at the hands of the demon guy really soured my mood. I don’t like it when that sort of thing is used when it literally does nothing for the plot. I don’t enjoy it period, but It doesn’t affect my rating or enjoyment of a novel because it can be needed. This was not needed, at all. No point, not even with the little end bit. There was no point, and the little smirk that was on my face through reading this whole book faded when I got to that part. I’m subtracting a star for that scene alone, even if it wasn’t detailed at all.
Other than the aforementioned, this was a super entertaining and fun read. I enjoyed myself way too much, and laughed more than I should have considering the subject matter.
arieljrramos's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
divebarbooks's review
3.0
This book is exactly what you want it to be. Sex and murder obsessed grocery clerk satanist taking over the vanilla grocery store across the street. I’ve read a lot of hard hitting emotional books lately and I needed something absurd and this somewhat scratched that itch. I’m a big splatter punk fan but the big problem I have with the genre is the coincidences. Someone gets saved at the last second, someone slips and falls to avoid being beheaded, the lights go out at the perfect time, etc. Less of that and this book gets 5 stars. But don’t let that deter you from picking this up, lots of fun. I loved the music references and as always... not for the faint of heart.
libraryofalibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
unwantedpyrotechnics's review
5.0
probably the most f*cked up thing I’ve ever read, but im obsessed. It was like a Troma movie but 100x worse, I love it.
darksaphira's review against another edition
I'd never read splatterpunk before, and based on the first chapter of the book it is not a genre for me. I flipped around and saw some other things that I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach reading, so this is my first DNF.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Body horror, Child death, and Torture
aiden_e_messer's review against another edition
5.0
This is the funniest thing I need in a while! Shameless, gory, crazy, with over-the-top yet (sometimes) touching characters