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eadrianschmitz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Body horror, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Suicide, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Outing, Stalking, Violence, Biphobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Addiction, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Confinement, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Dementia, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Kidnapping, and Lesbophobia
klosterphobia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
As someone who aligns with King's and Holly's liberal perspective, it's disappointing that the novel misses opportunities to delve into the parallels between the killer's obsession with health and the proliferation of dubious COVID cures, a potential avenue for poignant social commentary that remains unexplored.
A notable issue arises in the portrayal of race and violence against Black men throughout the narrative. The treatment of this sensitive topic by an older white male author feels somewhat off, with the racism exhibited by the main antagonists coming across as a caricature rather than a meaningful exploration that adds depth to the narrative.
Despite these shortcomings, King's ability to captivate readers remains powerful. Even when the "whodunnit" aspect is apparent early on, the looming sense of doom as the story progresses keeps the pages turning. However, the fairy tale-like ending feels formulaic and lacks the excitement or novelty.
Holly entertains but falls short of its potential to engage deeply with complex societal issues and deliver a truly satisfying and thought-provoking narrative.
Graphic: Racism, Gore, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Torture, Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Child death, Cancer, Racial slurs, Murder, and Death of parent
theraccoonqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have loved seeing her development from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy to The Outsider and now. I did not realize If It Bleeds was supposed to be read before Holly, but I wasnāt too horribly lost by not having read it.
The Harrises were quite frankly some of the most disturbing antagonists that King has written that are just purely human. Thereās nothing supernatural about them. Theyāre just a couple of old people who have more than a few screws loose in their heads. This was like horror and crime/mystery wrapped up into one and I was absolutely here for it.
I felt that it was a good pace and I love that we got more of Hollyās internal push and pull on why she does what she does. Definitely a great read and Iāll recommend to anyone who enjoys horror and thriller and wonāt be butthurt by Hollyās perception of anti-vaxxers.
TW/CW for this book are as follows (I added what I could remember off the top of my head but I did find a comprehensive list online for the rest):
Cannibalism
Homophobia
Racism
Abortion
Cancer
COVID
Sexual harassment
Rape
School shooting
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Cancer and Rape
Minor: Sexual harassment and Mass/school shootings
minimicropup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
- Check the content heads-up because COVID pandemic times were prominent. It brought out all my gratefulness that we are no longer in 2021-2022, while also giving nostalgic feels for the quieting down of the world. But it could be too soon, too much, or too political depending on reader experiences.
- My favourite tropes + slow-burn made this a perfect match for me. If youāre looking for nuanced (or zero) COVID themes, or something where the stakes remain high and are plot driven, it could feel never-ending.
- Forever Young. Footsteps. Car doors. Skateboards. Doorbells. Silence. Knife chopping. Aromatic roast smells. Dessert spoons clinking. Zoom calls.
- Immersive, cinematic style strangeness and descriptive food and body horror
- Demented serial killer psychoanalysis
- Co-sleuthing with private investigator, missing persons mysteries
Graphic: Cannibalism and Confinement
Moderate: Body horror, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Dementia, Homophobia, and Cancer
exhaustedmumma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Gun violence, Death, Cancer, Alcoholism, and Dementia
lea8914lh's review against another edition
- 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
I donāt often binge books buuuut this one was too good.
Btw I LIKED all the political and Covid stuff, idk why everyone is so pressed abt it
+ the poetry content was very engaging, loved it (kudos go out to Barbara)
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Cannibalism, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Racism, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, and Mental illness
isacarvalho91's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Chronic illness, Confinement, Grief, Violence, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism
Moderate: Cancer and Dementia
Minor: Police brutality
chasingpages1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Medical content, Murder, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Violence, Chronic illness, Dementia, Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Lesbophobia, Racism, Torture, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Police brutality, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Classism, Body horror, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Terminal illness, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia
imstephtacular's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Murder, Medical content, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Cancer, Gaslighting, Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Torture, Ableism, Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Fatphobia, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, and Vomit
asifsyed's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Confinement, Death of parent, Blood, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Torture, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Gore
Moderate: Death
Minor: Mental illness, Drug use, Police brutality, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racism, Cursing, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Dementia, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Medical content