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woodselisa76's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
This is the first book I've read where I wanted to throw it across the room more than once. The first book where I wanted to stop and keep reading toward the end at the same time. I loved Mike, Mattie, Kyra and Jo's characters. The Epilogue tied the end up and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Death, Abortion, Sexual content, Suicide, Cursing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Body horror, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Pregnancy, and Racism
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.25
Review of Bag of Bones
By: Stephen King
It’s been four years since author, Mike Noonan, lost his wife, Jo, and he hasn’t been able to write a new book. He finally gets the courage to return to the lake house, Sarah Laughs, that they bought years go. He realizes the place is haunted by Jo and the black singer the house is named for Sarah Tidwell. Mike meets Mattie, a young mother, whose husband died years ago, and her computer tycoon father in-law wants Mattie and his son’s daughter, Kyra, by any means necessary. Mike finds himself mixed up in this custody battle and this situation might be connected to the hauntings in his vacation house.
This is quite a spooky and emotional read following similar themes to Lisey’s Story. Both stories are about widowers and being haunted by the memories of their dead spouses. In Bag of Bones the roles are reversed from Lisey’s Story where the one left behind is the writer. This story deals with so much more than grief. There is a plot about racism that is horrifying and sad to read as once again King doesn’t sugar coat anything. Like in most of his books, the story highlights the ugly side of humanity through racism and a custody battle. We also get a chilling ghost story that made me fear for the lives of our characters. Once again, King does include content that not everybody will comfortable like hearing characters use the “N” and “W” word, a rape, scene, and an age gap relationship. Romance does come off as authentic, to me at least, but the huge age gap is weird to me. The relationship between Mike and Kyra Noonan is sweet and endearing and we right amount of Kyra for het to not be annoying. Max Devore was a great and hatable villain, though the custody battle wasn’t as intriguing as the ghost story. Since the story zooms in on Mike and his relationship with the Devores, the secondary characters aren’t as developed, but I did we want to understand them better. King may include content that makes him a polarizing author, but he knows how to tell a rather good tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Child death, Cursing, Cancer, Suicide, and Racism
chig_flicks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Sexual content
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