Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Holly by Stephen King

79 reviews

itsheyfay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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brandywyne's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75


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kitfkat's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5


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mctore21's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25


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okiecozyreader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.5

I haven’t read Stephen King in years, but I was invited to buddy read this and gave in. I also watched the first book in the series The Outsider to get to know Holly a little.

In this book, Holly gets a call from a missing college librarian’s mother that her daughter has been missing for a few weeks and she finds it all unusual. As you start the book, you watch this couple pose as needing wheelchair aid to lure unsuspecting victims into their garage at different time periods. 

Like many Stephen King books, this one is hard to read at times, just so gory and sickening. I had so much fun deciphering it with other readers, though. And it makes me interested in going back to the older Mr. Mercedes series to meet Holly there.

This does include a lot of pandemic information (in the setting) and does take a political stance. King discusses this in the author’s note.

“What went on between them was more like a stone you can’t get out of your shoe.” Ch 18

“Gifts are fragile. You must never entrust yours to people who might break it.” Ch 19

“Most cases are fragile, the way eggs are fragile. Why? Because most criminals are dopes. When it comes to doing dirt, even the ones who are smart are dopes. Otherwise they wouldn’t do dirt in the first place. So you treat a case like an egg. You crack it, you beat it, you put it in a pan with some butter. Then you make yourself a nice little omelet.” Ch 34

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alyssasmith917's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0


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amp18's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.5

It was a good concept but it was so slow. Bogged down with repetitive details. I started skimming halfway through.

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lakeside_knitter's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25


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elsebeok's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0


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hellotheremaryrose's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

I! Just! Love! Her! So! Much!
“Holly has come a long way from the shy introvert Bill Hodges met lurking outside a funeral home all those years ago, but that woman still lives inside her and always will. That woman is terrified of being wrong and still believes she is wrong as often as she’s right. It’s a quantum advance from the woman who thought she was always wrong, but the insecurity remains.” ❤️

Yes, the Covid stuff was laid on thick, and it was strange that
Emily introduces Barbara to Olivia
but I could look past all that. Holly and Barbara are really strong, likable characters, and they kept the story going. 

I liked the pacing, and how the timelines came together. The book went on a lot of different paths, but they all came together so nicely.  

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