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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
jesshart8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Racism, Cannibalism, and Chronic illness
muteoflight's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Racial slurs, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent
catherine_t's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
As Holly begins to look into Bonnie's disappearance, she discovers other people have gone missing: 11-year-old Peter "Stinky" Steinman, three years earlier; Cary Dressler, stoner but all-around good guy, three years before that; and Ellen Craslow, a few months before Peter Steinman. It doesn't look like a serial killer--the victims, if that's what they are, are too different, for one thing--but Holly begins to think that the missing persons are connected. As she digs deeper, she'll uncover a horror unlike anything she's ever faced.
I'm a die-hard Stephen King fan, but on top of that, I love Holly Gibney. She started, as King says, as a walk-on character in Mr. Mercedes, but she grew to be so much more. I think she's one of the best characters King has ever written; she's definitely in my top five. If you've read any of the previous books with Holly in them, you have to read this one. Even if you haven't, read this book.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Death of parent, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kalaser's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Dementia
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Child death, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
laynerinke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Gore, Confinement, Child death, Dementia, Drug use, and Grief
yellowpurple500's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
At first I was a bit unsure about the inclusion of Covid and some other clear real world parallel events however after reading the end acknowledgements, I'm so glad that's the direction king went, it makes so much sense for the character. Also could someone explain to me why the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT section at the end had me tearing up.
Definitely read this after the Mr Mercedes trilogy, outsider and the short story in if it bleeds if you want to avoid spoilers.
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Stalking, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Body horror, Colonisation, Cannibalism, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, Death, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Vomit, Addiction, Dementia, Medical content, Misogyny, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Child death, Gore, and Hate crime
linda_wolf's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Cursing, Confinement, Gun violence, and Hate crime
booking_along's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
and i don’t think there is a much more fitting way to describe this book and its story.
it’s a dark place with monster waiting.
i personally love Kings books the most where it shows the horrors of humanity - don’t get me wrong he also has good stuff with supernatural elements (the rest of the Holly saga comes to mind especially with review this last book of that series) but i think that he twisted dark places King can take the reader to with his human monsters? those are just horrific in realistic real life ways that make the entire reading experience especially creepy or thrilling or horrific (pick your own emotion!)
this book is a slower paced crime book that takes you along while characters try to solve a mystery the reader already knows the answer to because we as the readers also get the perspective of the bad guy.
do it’s not a typical thriller where we have to wait with a racing heart what’s going to happen and flip pages until the jog reveal to learn who’s done it.
i personally didn’t mind that at all because especially the last 50-80 or so pages where enough of a heart racing moment for me with all the horrific small moments of the book that i didn’t need to also have the added layer of having to try and figure out who is doing it.
i liked following along how Holly is trying to puzzle it out and work through the case while knowing where she had to end up to be right.
BUT if you don’t like that? this book isn’t for you.
if you don’t like Holly as a character (i understand she can be polarizing) don’t read a book that has her name as a title! it specifically tells you who the book will feature a lot!
if you dislike slower pace and a bit of a ramble along? not the book for you.
or if you dislike a real horror that some humans are capable of? pick something else.
i enjoyed all those aspects!
they made this book as good as it was for me.
i found the parts where Barbara and Jerome were more in focus -Barbara had a bigger role in this story- a bit too long and could have lived with shorter sections from them. but overall they weren’t bad or boring, i just felt like the dragged the story out a bit and i didn’t really feel it needed that.
but they are great characters and i am happy to have gotten more from them after having finished the book.
now the horror aspect of the book:
no spoilers but no supernatural elements.
i don’t think that’s a spoiler because it makes a decision to read or not to read especially a book with horror elements easier for many.
i as already mentioned, find human and what they are capable of more horrific than a fictional monster.
so if i want a real horror that will keep me up longer than i wanted to be up and actually feel uneasy? i need this books kind of horror - humanity and it’s horrific sides.
but if you prefer monster? this book is more of a crime story for you and won’t give you want sour looking for.
reread the others that feature Holly and get your fix there.
all in all?
i enjoyed it - a lot.
i would have loved it a bit more if the pacing would have been a little faster, some sections cut a little shorter and maybe the book would have been 350 pages (so almost a hundred pages shorter) because it wouldn’t have been as slow and meandering in some sections.
as it it’s ist well done and i enjoyed it a lot and i especially love the last section where it picked up speed a bit.
but i overall mostly enjoyed this because Holly is a fantastic character to me. i just enjoy her and i do love that King himself can’t seem to really let her go either.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Torture
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