Reviews

The Dead Pennies by Robert Ford

janel_bernotas's review

5.0

When Abby flees her addicted/abusive boyfriend, her old friend Hayden helps her out. She becomes caretaker of a former children’s asylum that’s being refurbished into apartments. But that building has secrets, it comes alive, and the those spectral inhabitants aren’t too happy. All the while, Abby’s former boyfriend isn’t willing to let her go that easily. Another great read by Robert Ford…I loved this one! So creepy!!

aliciagw's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

My thanks to both NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publishers for the ARC of this book.

This was a really entertaining read.  It was fairly easy reading, fast paced and it kept my attention.  I hadn't read any Robert Ford books before this one, but I will definitely be on the lookout for other books of his.  The story was creepy, well written, and I thought that the characters were relatively well done.  I particularly liked the main character, Abby.

In terms of content, as with any horror, there are some topics that some might find to be difficult to read, particularly violence, child abuse, and domestic abuse.

drakaina16's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Thank you to Cemetery Dance for providing a review copy.
I loved this book! The Dead Pennies contains some extremely creepy moments. It's a bit slow-paced, but when the action starts, it's worth the wait. I thought the writing and characters were great. This was my first Robert Ford book and I look forward to reading more. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

djali84's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I enjoyed the book, even if the story was sometimes poorly plotted. I would have liked the characters to have been a little more developed. Some characters appear only once, for the sole purpose of giving a piece of information, a clue, and then are never mentioned again. Certain events that seem important, that should have had repercussions, are left unexplained and unresolved. Abby is a likable character, but she too lacks substance, especially for a protagonist. The ending also felt a little rushed. Still, I found the story interesting. The reality described is terrifying because it's real. The book succeeded in arousing chills, disgust, and anguish. All in all, a good novel, but read the trigger warnings before diving in. The descriptions are graphic and do not spare the reader.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Gore, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Body shaming, Abandonment, and Hate crime

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

theremightbecupcakes's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Hate crime, Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual content