A bit different, but good
This book wasn't my favorite by Grady Hendrix. It was lacking some of the feminist rage and humor I got out of his other books. While there was still some rage, with the book focusing on women surviving horrible attacks multiple times, it just wasn't hitting the same. Despite that, it's a good book. You have a semi-unreliable narrator who fears that everyone is out to get them, and another round of attacks on people who have already suffered so much. The story and our narrator made it hard to know what was really going on and who the criminal was until the end, but it was done well.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book
Wish this to become a movie.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Another hit from Grady
"All our monsters are the same monster, the male monster... Our monsters are the night visitors, the child stealers, the boo-baggers, the baby guzzlers. They are the men who eat children. It is the oldest and only story, our attempt to imitate the two divine acts of God: creation and destruction. Birth and death. Women get birth, so men must settle for death. And they've become experts on the subject." (p237) This was my second Grady Hendrix book and it did not disappoint! The main character, Lynette, meets monthly with a group of other final girls, to process the trauma from their violent pasts. These women have one thing in common: they were all sole survivors of violent mass murders during their teens. Now they have become targets again and Lynnette spends the rest of the book on the run trying to get to the bottom of the conspiracy targeting them, while also attempting to protect her friends from unknown threats. This one was packed with action, gore, and suspense. It was the perfect horror read for spooky season. It kept me up late turning pages at breakneck speed. It's a Grady Hendrix novel, so of course it has its silly moments as well. It's definitely a bit of a satire on the final girls trope, poking fun at some of the slasher cliches. But in a "laugh with", not "laugh at" kind of way. Definitely recommend this one to all horror fans and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great plot but...
It was good but not my favorite book on the shelf..some parts were boring and some parts were good.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
It was okay
I really enjoyed the plot and it reminded me of many horror movies growing up in the 90's! But I feel like the ending was disappointing, a huge build up for pages and pages but then... meh. I really like this author and will continue to read his books. But this one was just... eh.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Interesting
Being a fan of horror movies, I thought the story sounded really good. Some of the characters were interesting. I'll admit the pacing in the middle was a bit slow but I still breezed through the chapters. This was quite the weird, creepy and suspenseful read.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good psychological suspense
Full disclosure-I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Many of the reviews talked about humor - I have to say I didn't get it, but that may say more about me than the book. Never a fan of slasher movies, this was still a relatable and well written novel capitalizing on everything about the genre that has become part of the popular culture. One of the most psychologically unstable main characters ever, Lynette still manages to rise above her real trauma to emerge as the true heroine of the book. Suspense is maintained well throughout the novel and the ending is as neat as it is surprising. If you like psychological thrillers, you'll enjoy this one.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book for fans of slasher movies!
This is the second book I have read by this author and too be honest, I prefer The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires over this one. The pace of this story is sluggish and I am not entirely sure that I actually like any of the characters. Since the author introduces all six of the "final girls" early on in the book it is difficult to keep track of the characters and their final girl storyline. I finally had to create a list including each person's description and which movie and leading role is used for inspiration: Lynnette Tarkington is the narrator and a recluse. Her PTSD-fueled paranoia has taken over her life and she is surprisingly quite the fraidy-cat. She represents Denise from Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) a Christmas-themed slasher movie. Marilyn Torres is married to a rich and powerful CEO. She is a recovering alcoholic and PTSD and uses activism as a coping tool. Since, she is a survivor of cannibals she will not let leather touch her skin. Marilyn is inspired by Sally Hardesty from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Dani Shipman announces to the group that she is leaving in order to spend more time with her wife Michelle, who is dying from cancer. She was babysitting when her brother broke out of an asylum on Halloween and attempted to kill her. Dani is a nod to Laurie Strode from Halloween (1978). Adrienne Butler was a counselor at Camp Red Lake as well as the rare black final girl. She was appalled that her struggle was turned into a film. Furthermore, she sued and took control of the franchise and used the royalties to buy the camp and turn it into a retreat for abused and victimized women. Adrienne is modeled after Alice Hardy from Friday the 13th (1980). Heather DeLuca faced off against the Dream King, a supernatural killer. Afterwards, she has had a messy life consisting of jail time and substance abuse. I enjoy her biting commentary filled with dark humor. Heather is based on Nancy Thompson from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Julia Campbell was attacked by her boyfriend and his friend. Her experience has left her a paralyzed activist in a wheelchair. She is known for her talkative, angry demeanor and is a determined survivor who uses her voice for good. Julia is inspired by Sidney Prescott from the Scream franchise. Adrienne is found dead at Camp Red Lake thus, Lynnette has a strong sense of responsibility for protecting the group because of her paranoia and guilt over her past. Surprisingly, Heather ends up taking a severe hit in order to protect the others but regrettably she disappears at the end of the story. Finally, one of my favorite elements of this story are the pieces of fictional doctor notes, police reports, fabricated book, magazine, and newspaper clippings inserted throughout the book. Here are a few of my favorite ones: 1) Dr. Carol Elliott's private notes on group session. 2) Incident report from American Fork, Utah, Police Department, December 24, 1990. 3) Transcript from two police officers interviewing multiple homicide survivor Marilyn Torres, July 17, 1978. 4) Transcript from two police officers interviewing multiple homicide survivor Julia Campbell, October 23, 1992. 5) Dr. Philip Decker interview with multiple homicide survivor Danielle Shipman, November 8, 1980. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves slasher movies.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com