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killercora's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
slowmojo00's review against another edition
3.0
It’s a very well written and captivating book, however, I wasn’t expecting it to take that ~dark~ of a turn, that made me very uncomfy.
liamari4's review against another edition
3.0
i felt violently angry, sick to my stomach, and overall just frustrated for about 80% of the book. the last bit was good, and i wish the first 300 pages had had more of that energy - instead we have 300 pages of a poor woman being gaslit by everyone around her and then a last vampire (ish) witch-hunt at the end. 3.5/5
thea_wilby's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.25
desolateword9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
valpacheco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I found the first quarter of the book a little hard to get into but as soon as Patricia begins her detective work on James I was all in. The setting and characters being Southern housewives obsessed with true crimes in the early 90s really hit a specific demographic that resonated with me in an endearing way. I really enjoyed the spins and creative liberties that are taken with the concept of a “vampire”. James Harrison has got to be one of the most ruthless and aggravating villains I’ve read in a book before; his manipulative white man outside character made me want to kick and scream while reading about him lying. I like that he is smart and always thinks ahead using his social position to his advantage. It’s so boring when villains are somehow not smart enough to see traps planted right in front of them, and I honestly was impressed with how many attempts had to be made to take him down. I also really liked Patricia as a main character as she doesn’t initially want to question James but then feels a moral obligation as well as a personal stake in defeating him. The way she is dismissed as a crazy woman made made feel for her throughout the novel (and want to strangle her husband honestly).
I found the novel overall odd and dark, which is kind of in my ballpark. There were a few hints of humor (firstly, the odd o names/nicknames which I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated), and I think that could have been pushed a bit more within the novel. Another small detail that others have pointed out is that the author sometimes slipped into omniscient 3rd person, which wasn’t balanced enough to feel consistent and threw me off a bit as a reader. However, I thought this was smartly written with some potential for more depth on the social issues brought out (the main ones being racism, sexism and mental health issues).
I found the novel overall odd and dark, which is kind of in my ballpark. There were a few hints of humor (firstly, the odd o names/nicknames which I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated), and I think that could have been pushed a bit more within the novel. Another small detail that others have pointed out is that the author sometimes slipped into omniscient 3rd person, which wasn’t balanced enough to feel consistent and threw me off a bit as a reader. However, I thought this was smartly written with some potential for more depth on the social issues brought out (the main ones being racism, sexism and mental health issues).
j3nnymiller's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
calliek927's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite Grady Hendrix book... It felt more like a drawn out drama with a tiny bit of humor sprinkled in, but not what I like about his other stories.
I will continue to read his books, as this one is the only one that didn't earn at least 4 stars, in my opinion. This one just seemed to miss the mark for me.
I will continue to read his books, as this one is the only one that didn't earn at least 4 stars, in my opinion. This one just seemed to miss the mark for me.