shereadytoread's Reviews (806)

In my opinion it’s one of the better fear street books. Plausible enough to be realistic, a good number of red herrings, and teens just unhinged enough that any one of them could be the killer.

The romance and family aspects were great. Its an urban (mafia??? they don't use that word but I guess that's what it is) romance. It has a fair amount of violence and the MMC is not a "good" person due to their position and actions. It had me in from start to finish. I stayed up half the night reading and finished it first thing in the morning when I got up.

Our MMC has ADHD and OCD and I think there was an honest attempt at good representation but it didn't quite land. It gets a good amount of things right, but a lot wrong; and it falls in that trope where some symptoms seem to conveniently disappear as a result of the love. 

I'm excited for the next book but I wish it was about a different character. I'll be keeping up with the series to see if I get that couple in a future book!

Having seen the movie a bunch of times, I knew what to expect going into this book, but it still had enough difference that some pieces were still surprising. I think the book has a strong plot but doesn't invest enough in it's characters. They are all pretty flat and read a bit like archetypes stuck in the story. There isn't really growth or change, what you see is what you get. The most interesting part of the book is the setting and the survival attempts. Watching the group try to hold out through what seems inescapable is difficult. I think that alone makes it enjoyable and worth the read. This could have easily been a 5 star read with more character investment.

Main differences from movie (spoiler-free): extra characters in the book, additional detail to characters, additional body horror moments.

This book felt like it had all the conventions of a good romance, but didn't feel formulaic. Some of the family portions were a little too heavy-handed in my opinion. I understood the commentary on fatphobia and societal expectations of women, but it felt like beating a dead horse at some points. The love interest relationship was so good and when we FINALLY got some spice, it was very well done. 

I am excited to jump to the next book in this series!

A creature feature with a major twist. I loved this book! Gory but also introspective. 

Books with no true villain and no true hero are always the best to me.

The story was really interesting but I felt like it continually undercut its' own tension. It was a lot of fun ideas but because it was so short, every other page is a conversation and then simple reveal after a certain point. I thought the plot was great but the writing didn't make me excited to find out more. The writing was very tell, not show. It is built into such an interesting world and concept and that is such a small part of the story. I really wished we got to see more of the library or more of how it came to be. This seemed more to be a detailed outline of a super interesting story rather than the completed result.

Is the real horror this seemingly haunted house, or is it this very awkward love triangle? The answer is both. This is one of those reminders that YA horror can capture the creepy, eeriness without pulling punches. It definitely got the scary atmosphere of a large empty house and the unknown.

There are so many things I can say about this book, but all of them would be spoilers, so I’m not going to do that. 

It has been some time since I read POTS, so maybe I have forgotten but this one seemed so much darker. It’s also very likely this one felt so much more aligned with what is currently happening that it connected more. 

This book takes you on a ride. It is at times hopeful and inspiring but often frustrating and horrifying. I am so sad to think we will never get the end of this story as it was originally conceived, but I think this book does end in a way that feels complete. Definitely check trigger warnings on this one. 

This is an excellent collection, reflective of our world in the best and worst ways. I loved that towards the end, there are a few nonfiction essays which felt like a great way to end the collection. The types of stories vary widely. 

Some I loved, some confused me, but almost all I feel I took something from.

This was such an interesting take on eco-fantasy. A survivor trying her best to hold on to her culture and hope (and respect for nature) when faced with what appears to be inevitable destruction of it all. The refusal of sacrifice but also the necessity of sacrifice are strong themes in the story. 

So much happens in such a short novella, but the world felt fully fleshed out. There is a clear humanity vs nature idea, but like actual humanity, there is variety in people’s beliefs and actions. 

I was so excited to hear Jiang was releasing a new story, and it did not disappoint. 

Disclosure: I received a gifted copy from the publisher.