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fatherofmysteries's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
4.75
I'm rereading the series that I loved as a kid and it's genuinely better than I remember it being - and I remember it being awesome! It's getting docked a little for a few portrayals of some minorities but it more than delivers in the story. Everything is so visceral and real, it captures perfectly how a child would react to the situations he is in (all of the books do), the arcs feel deserved, and the plot twists may be a little more on-the-nose and predictable (understandable for a series aimed at middle grade readers) but the way they play out always makes up for it. It deals with depression, loneliness and desperation so well, not shying away from feeling the effects, despite being written for a young audience. In all honesty, the sheer amount of gore and nastiness being dialled up to 100 makes it hard to believe that this is a kids series. There was less guts and viscera in Blood Meridian. Worth a read at any age, comfort level depending, 100% give this series a go, so many things have stuck with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Racism
thatwellkid's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
holliejs95's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
notamaced's review against another edition
5.0
Even if the Twist at the end was more obvious now that I remembered a lot from this book from before, it's still one of my favorite books in the series
essie101's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual violence, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Child death and Vomit
chutneysss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
forgottentaxes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
johnathanwet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a huge improvement over Lord Loss, pure action from start to finish.
Shan revels in his gory little details, and the crude world he has created is really starting to shine through here.
This was my first introduction to the Demonata series back when I was like 8-10, and I was a scaredy cat back then, yet I enjoyed every moment of the book, I enjoyed the horror, just needing to find out more about this world. Shan managed to straddle the line in horror that allows these stories to be horrifying and gruesome and sad and gory and gross, but still readable for kids. It’s really impressive.
Shan revels in his gory little details, and the crude world he has created is really starting to shine through here.
This was my first introduction to the Demonata series back when I was like 8-10, and I was a scaredy cat back then, yet I enjoyed every moment of the book, I enjoyed the horror, just needing to find out more about this world. Shan managed to straddle the line in horror that allows these stories to be horrifying and gruesome and sad and gory and gross, but still readable for kids. It’s really impressive.