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mudmule's review
5.0
Update: I didnโt remember reading this before so gave it another read. This is an excellent book, fast read, and one of my favorites.
Our narrator, I never caught his name unless its Mr. Shaw himself. Our boy is an army brat and moves from school to school. His first day he meets David. When his new friend ducks out and makes him walk into class alone he thinks its him. But the bullies start in immediately on David. This school has a history of suicide due to bullying. Nobody cares. Not even parents. After enough beatings and torture, our boy broke. I thoroughly enjoyed the torment he served out especially and the kick to the nuts of a bully. Ive changed my initial rating.
Old review:
I enjoyed this story of bullying and a boy's revenge. I suffered some bullying myself so it really hit home. The read is fast and keeps you glued to the book. I gave 4 stars because I was expecting more violence, more graphic content.
Our narrator, I never caught his name unless its Mr. Shaw himself. Our boy is an army brat and moves from school to school. His first day he meets David. When his new friend ducks out and makes him walk into class alone he thinks its him. But the bullies start in immediately on David. This school has a history of suicide due to bullying. Nobody cares. Not even parents. After enough beatings and torture, our boy broke. I thoroughly enjoyed the torment he served out especially and the kick to the nuts of a bully. Ive changed my initial rating.
Old review:
I enjoyed this story of bullying and a boy's revenge. I suffered some bullying myself so it really hit home. The read is fast and keeps you glued to the book. I gave 4 stars because I was expecting more violence, more graphic content.
ambrose_7's review
2.0
This was just Rage by Stephen King except more sexually graphic and without the deeper meaning that King was going for. I didn't like Rage very much either. But at least I could understand that King was going for Lord of the Flies-type psychology. I very much felt like the meaning of the book was well-intended. I will remind you King removed Rage from publication because of the messages that some people took and the fact that he thought (proved?) that school shooters were using it as inspiration. I think that the 8th should not be publically consumed for the same reasons. A preface at the beginning doesn't override the fact you're writing about something many young malleable minds are reading about and taking inspiration from. I know that almost everyone who reads this has a moral compass that tells them something like this is completely unjustified. But if you inspire just one person to do something like this, where does that put you? I think that for this reason when writing on a topic like this you have to be extremely careful with everything you do. I don't like the excuse "it's just how horror is" It is the author's responsibility to relay the morals and ethics of what's going on in a horror story in a way that leads the reader to not make horrible and lifechanging decisions in their own lives. I felt a disconnection between the author's preface and the actual story. This felt like lazy and hurried writing.
You're walking a fine line, Matt Shaw. I'm worried by how well this novella seems to be received on Goodreads.
You're walking a fine line, Matt Shaw. I'm worried by how well this novella seems to be received on Goodreads.
kasmaurice's review
3.0
Gory
Not as horror filled as I thought just depraved as all hell and gory. I do wish it was a bit longer and drawn out though.
Not as horror filled as I thought just depraved as all hell and gory. I do wish it was a bit longer and drawn out though.
jordongreene's review
5.0
The 8th is definitely not for the squeamish or the easily offended, and it deals with a difficult topic that I think many will take away the wrong message unfortunately.
From my understanding and view the book does not promote violence as a remedy to bullying, as even Matt Shaw (the author) stated he does not advocate such, but instead I'd say gives a little insight into how someone who has constantly endured bullying feels and could react under such horrible circumstances.
When you get down to it, even with the more graphic depictions of some acts, the story is really a tragedy, it's sad and heartbreaking. It's all too plausible which makes it even more scary.
From my understanding and view the book does not promote violence as a remedy to bullying, as even Matt Shaw (the author) stated he does not advocate such, but instead I'd say gives a little insight into how someone who has constantly endured bullying feels and could react under such horrible circumstances.
When you get down to it, even with the more graphic depictions of some acts, the story is really a tragedy, it's sad and heartbreaking. It's all too plausible which makes it even more scary.
galaxiesofbooks's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wow, what a ride. i picked this book up because i was highly intrigued by it, what with it being a revenge story, and if you know me, you know that i ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ revenge stories! letโs get into the review:
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จโฆ they werenโt really well developed, but i still found myself caring about what happened to our protagonist (i donโt think we ever found out what his name was) and David. iโve seen bullying happen back at my school and itโs not a thing that should be happening whatsoever. some of the characters really pissed me off in this book, but i still donโt think they were fully developed.
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ก๐โฆ it was simple, nothing beautiful about it, but really easy to get into. maybe even too simple. if i was to give 5 stars to a book, the writing style is also crucial for me.
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ก๐ค๐ฉโฆ it was definitely sad what happened in this book, but i do feel like in the last chapters, the author took the easy way out when wrapping up the story. i wonโt say what it was, but i feel like i wanted more from this book. more torment towards the bullies, more meaningful conversations, because it is a topic thatโs really important nowadays too and if weโre writing a revenge story, we want a PROPER revenge story. i felt like i just got a surface of the story when i personally needed the depths.
๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐กโฆ i definitely donโt think this was a bad story, i did feel for the characters, but iโm pretty sure iโll forget everything about this book soon lol.
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จโฆ they werenโt really well developed, but i still found myself caring about what happened to our protagonist (i donโt think we ever found out what his name was) and David. iโve seen bullying happen back at my school and itโs not a thing that should be happening whatsoever. some of the characters really pissed me off in this book, but i still donโt think they were fully developed.
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ก๐โฆ it was simple, nothing beautiful about it, but really easy to get into. maybe even too simple. if i was to give 5 stars to a book, the writing style is also crucial for me.
๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ก๐ค๐ฉโฆ it was definitely sad what happened in this book, but i do feel like in the last chapters, the author took the easy way out when wrapping up the story. i wonโt say what it was, but i feel like i wanted more from this book. more torment towards the bullies, more meaningful conversations, because it is a topic thatโs really important nowadays too and if weโre writing a revenge story, we want a PROPER revenge story. i felt like i just got a surface of the story when i personally needed the depths.
๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐กโฆ i definitely donโt think this was a bad story, i did feel for the characters, but iโm pretty sure iโll forget everything about this book soon lol.
mentallyillescapist's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
canemy2k's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
vondav's review
5.0
Going to school is hard enough for some teenagers, but if when you are there you are constantly bullied then it is unbearable. This is the case for this young teenager in this story.
Being the new boy is school, he is used to all the stares but when he stands up for David, a quiet lad who was constantly bullied by Piers and his cronies, he became the new target for the bullies.
Written from the main protagonistโs POV, it emphasises what damage the constant bullying has done to him. The story started at the point when he wants to teach the bullies a lesson. Alternating between the present and the past you learn what drove him to breaking point.
As a Mom who has had teenagers through school, my biggest fear was for them to get bullied. Whilst we tell our children to tell us if they are getting bullied you do worry that people will not believe them or the authorities will not act upon it. This story shows the worse in people, students and teachers alike and whilst I cannot condone what he did, I could understand why he did it. These children where regular kids, who had done nothing wrong but to the โITโ crowd they were different and easy targets. The build up to the final scene was intense and my heart was breaking at the end. I would love bullies to read this book and see what damage the name calling and the beatings do to people, but they are bullies so they would not get it.
A great story with some harrowing scenes, a must read for everyone
Being the new boy is school, he is used to all the stares but when he stands up for David, a quiet lad who was constantly bullied by Piers and his cronies, he became the new target for the bullies.
Written from the main protagonistโs POV, it emphasises what damage the constant bullying has done to him. The story started at the point when he wants to teach the bullies a lesson. Alternating between the present and the past you learn what drove him to breaking point.
As a Mom who has had teenagers through school, my biggest fear was for them to get bullied. Whilst we tell our children to tell us if they are getting bullied you do worry that people will not believe them or the authorities will not act upon it. This story shows the worse in people, students and teachers alike and whilst I cannot condone what he did, I could understand why he did it. These children where regular kids, who had done nothing wrong but to the โITโ crowd they were different and easy targets. The build up to the final scene was intense and my heart was breaking at the end. I would love bullies to read this book and see what damage the name calling and the beatings do to people, but they are bullies so they would not get it.
A great story with some harrowing scenes, a must read for everyone
xpressionless's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0