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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC
Dilouie delivers a high octane wild ride.
Fun horror at its finest. Its a little wink wink nudge nudge a little silly and I love it. We get moments of real depth though hiding in the shear joy of a wild and often humorous tale
I think i would have preferred it in a more standard format but it’s a minor gripe.
It’s impressive how likable all of the characters are and tbh maybe I’m toxic but I was lowkey rooting for Lily and Drake to get back together.
Perfect for fans of keith rossons fever house series. And the conjuring series
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
I received this book from NetGalley for a review. Wow, ya’ll, I loved this book. It was so good! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I loved Episode Thirteen so much and I assumed DiLouie was going to do something amazing with the concept. Thankfully, I was right!
In 2010, the lead singer of popular punk pop band, The Shivers, walked into a police station and confessed to murdering her ex-boyfriend. For the past decade, Lily and her bandmates refused interview requests, but she’s finally agreed to one and her bandmates follow her lead. This book is in interview format between the members of the band and those close to them. They recount their harrowing experiences with frontman Drake Morgan during their rise as a band and Morgan’s rise to evil.
I loved the format, the interview style worked really well as an audiobook and there is a different narrator for each character. Lily’s reflections on the creation of her band and grappling with loving someone evil were beautiful and cathartic. I found the book surprisingly moving.
This was such a fun read! I can’t wait to read more by this author. Get your own copy soon!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think the theme of this book is: it was just fine. I ended up requesting this book because I hear a lot of praises sung about Craig DiLouie and previously I had attempted to read Episode Thirteen (but pretty promptly DNF'd it). So I saw this and thought what the hell, I'll give this author another go.
Despite being I believe the target audience in the preferred demographic for this book I just came away thinking "meh". It just never blew my wig off, you know? The pacing was okay, I guess. The characters all had a "thing", I suppose. I don't even really know what to say, this may be the most average book I have ever read. I think it's a little between We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix and Evil in Me by Brom, but not as good as either of them.
I was sitting at a 2.5 rating for this book for a lot of it, nothing really happens until about, 75% of the way in, which is just wild and the only reason I decided on that rating was because it was hilarious to me when random members of the clergy would get mowed down in the background. But I decided on a 3 star because I really did like the ending because I'm a giant softie and like a happy ending.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Despite being I believe the target audience in the preferred demographic for this book I just came away thinking "meh". It just never blew my wig off, you know? The pacing was okay, I guess. The characters all had a "thing", I suppose. I don't even really know what to say, this may be the most average book I have ever read. I think it's a little between We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix and Evil in Me by Brom, but not as good as either of them.
I was sitting at a 2.5 rating for this book for a lot of it, nothing really happens until about, 75% of the way in, which is just wild and the only reason I decided on that rating was because it was hilarious to me when random members of the clergy would get mowed down in the background. But I decided on a 3 star because I really did like the ending because I'm a giant softie and like a happy ending.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
If Daisy Jones and Grady Hendrix had a book child, it might be My Ex, The Antichrist. That combination equals high praise from me.
I previously loved author Craig DiLouie's Episode Thirteen and How To Make A Horror Movie And Survive, so thank you to @hbgcanada for the gifted ARC of his newest for review!
The backdrop is the pop-punk music scene in the late 90s, headed by band The Shivers.
Story sections rotate through band members, event co-ordinators, DJs, those in the music scene. And as the title suggests, experts in religious studies.
The first half of the book is of the band's formation and coupling/uncoupling of Lily and Drake, then over to the Armageddon Battle of the Bands in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (As a fan of awesome fictional band names, my faves in here are Better Dentistry, Hate Mail, and Surgical Scar lol.)
Like pyrotechnics on a concert stage, the band's story erupts into darkly humorous chaos at Armageddon.
Don't miss this one from a noteworthy Canadian author, horror fans. Recommended!
For release on July 1.
I previously loved author Craig DiLouie's Episode Thirteen and How To Make A Horror Movie And Survive, so thank you to @hbgcanada for the gifted ARC of his newest for review!
The backdrop is the pop-punk music scene in the late 90s, headed by band The Shivers.
Story sections rotate through band members, event co-ordinators, DJs, those in the music scene. And as the title suggests, experts in religious studies.
The first half of the book is of the band's formation and coupling/uncoupling of Lily and Drake, then over to the Armageddon Battle of the Bands in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (As a fan of awesome fictional band names, my faves in here are Better Dentistry, Hate Mail, and Surgical Scar lol.)
Like pyrotechnics on a concert stage, the band's story erupts into darkly humorous chaos at Armageddon.
Don't miss this one from a noteworthy Canadian author, horror fans. Recommended!
For release on July 1.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette for an ALC! While the narration was fabulously done, I just could not connect to the story and the writing. I was a bit bored during the parts of starting the band as it felt monotonous. The “Antichrist” parts did not feel evil enough for him to be this devilish figure. I did like the religious points made throughout the text, but that was pretty much the only thing that grabbed me. Lastly, I felt the ending was quite rushed and underwhelming.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lily, the lead singer of the popular band The Shivers, walks into a police station and confesses to murdering her ex boyfriend, the antichrist. The book unravels the story of the band and how they got involved with the antichrist through a series of interviews.
I rated this 3.5 stars. It’s a fun read, but there was nothing that blew me away. I enjoyed the interview format and think it worked well. There were a few sections where I felt like the pacing dragged, but otherwise I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to horror readers who enjoy books that are somewhat lighthearted/funny.
I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend it. There are multiple narrators and I think they all did a great job! I think the choice to have multiple narrators worked really well with the interview format of this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I listened to the audio format of this book, and the production was pretty great. Having a full cast always makes a book more immersive and enjoyable, however this one jumped from character to character so frequently and without mention of who was talking I found myself scrambling in the first hour or so to remember which voice was which character. The narrators each had a unique sound, so this very well could just be a me problem. I'm curious how the distinction was made in the print format.
This audiobook reminded me a lot of Fantasticland- with the different voices and the interview style. To be clear the stories aren't remotely similar- just the format which I really love. I think the narrators were fantastic and fit the unique characters personalities.
As for the story- In really enjoyed the different character perspectives and getting different takes on the same story, as well as seeing how the different characters viewed each other. There was a lot of neat dynamics there.
In the beginning I was hooked. This story was wild and unique and I was really interested to see where it was going, but as I reached the climax and last two hours of the story I found myself just really bored. I feel like this one was a slow burn without enough of a payoff. I think I'd have DNFed if I read in print- the narration really carried me through the story.
This audiobook reminded me a lot of Fantasticland- with the different voices and the interview style. To be clear the stories aren't remotely similar- just the format which I really love. I think the narrators were fantastic and fit the unique characters personalities.
As for the story- In really enjoyed the different character perspectives and getting different takes on the same story, as well as seeing how the different characters viewed each other. There was a lot of neat dynamics there.
In the beginning I was hooked. This story was wild and unique and I was really interested to see where it was going, but as I reached the climax and last two hours of the story I found myself just really bored. I feel like this one was a slow burn without enough of a payoff. I think I'd have DNFed if I read in print- the narration really carried me through the story.
challenging
dark
tense