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A review by entazis
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
I saw someone mentioning how Jade, the main character, talks in slasher movie dialogue, and yet that hasn't really prepared me for this book.
I don't know if there's anything that can get you prepared for one Jade Daniels. She's such a great protagonist, the angry teen, but also very endearing. What makes her especially interesting is her perspective, how she filters the world through the slasher goggles. Not just talking about it, but living it in her own way. And she's such a deeply rich character, hooking you into the story, making you care about her, nervous about her. This is her story, the story about growing up as a town reject, lonely and stuck in her head, neglected in her own family and abandoned, with a mystery of a small town on the top.
The mystery aspect was also interesting and very engaging, making you constantly guess what's going to happen next. But what I loved the most is how layered this story was, especially with the inclusion of Slasher 101 segments, written as Jade's schoolwork analyzing the slasher genre. Not only are these parts amazing if you have any interest in the genre, but there are also some interesting tidbits about town, backstories worthy of a slasher. There's also the fact that Jade's voice is wonderful, she's both sarcastic, but knowledgable and her love for the slashers oozes from the pages. If I was her teacher, she would pass that class no question.
The ending also obliterated me, but not going to say more than that. Just that the story is wonderfully written and emotional, stabbing me right in the heart.
I would also recommend reading this as an audiobook because Cara Gee does a phenomenal job reading it, with voice modulations and the way she portrays Jade with manic energy. I absolutely loved it and it was hard to put the book (or in this case headphones) down.
I don't know if there's anything that can get you prepared for one Jade Daniels. She's such a great protagonist, the angry teen, but also very endearing. What makes her especially interesting is her perspective, how she filters the world through the slasher goggles. Not just talking about it, but living it in her own way. And she's such a deeply rich character, hooking you into the story, making you care about her, nervous about her. This is her story, the story about growing up as a town reject, lonely and stuck in her head, neglected in her own family and abandoned, with a mystery of a small town on the top.
The mystery aspect was also interesting and very engaging, making you constantly guess what's going to happen next. But what I loved the most is how layered this story was, especially with the inclusion of Slasher 101 segments, written as Jade's schoolwork analyzing the slasher genre. Not only are these parts amazing if you have any interest in the genre, but there are also some interesting tidbits about town, backstories worthy of a slasher. There's also the fact that Jade's voice is wonderful, she's both sarcastic, but knowledgable and her love for the slashers oozes from the pages. If I was her teacher, she would pass that class no question.
The ending also obliterated me, but not going to say more than that. Just that the story is wonderfully written and emotional, stabbing me right in the heart.
I would also recommend reading this as an audiobook because Cara Gee does a phenomenal job reading it, with voice modulations and the way she portrays Jade with manic energy. I absolutely loved it and it was hard to put the book (or in this case headphones) down.