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introverted_dragon's reviews
258 reviews
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4.0
Overall rating: 4.10
Now a quick warning before I start,
1. This review will contain spoilers
2. I'm gonna go on a long rant
3. And I will be rating, plot, setting, etc, all separately, out of 5 each
That being said let’s get right into it!
Plot: 5/5
Now the story starts on the very first day of the disappearance, the day of, which also happens to be the day of Nick and Amy’s fifth anniversary. Everything seems normal at first, seemingly happy wife but a secretly unhappy husband, pretty normal right? However, what Nick doesn’t know is that his wife plans to ruin him and after today he will never feel safe with her. They have an uneventful breakfast and Nick doesn’t suspect anything. He leaves for The Bar, a bar he runs with his twin sister, Margo, nicknamed Go, Dunne.
He chats with her for a bit, telling her that he is unhappy and mentions that he still hasn’t got his wife a present for their special day. They joke around for a bit until The Bar receives a call from one of Nick’s neighbors, who informs him that his front door is wide open and that their pet cat, Bleaker, is sitting on the steps outside.
Nick, alarmed, enters his home only to discover his living in complete ruin. So he phones the cops and they conclude that Amy has gone missing.
Nick and the cops look into Amy’s friends, her old colleges and her supposed stalkers but they don’t come up with anything.
And as the investigation marches on, the police slowly, little by little, begin to find incriminating evidence that suggests that Nick killed his wife. At first Nick is confused and alarmed but a surprising discovery in his sister’s woodshed leads him to believe that his beloved wife is framing him. So he is desperate to prove his innocence but no matter what he does every new piece of evidence incriminates him further. Now he must fight to prove his innocence if he wants to save his life.
After all, Missouri does have the death penalty…
Setting: 3/5
The book takes place in several locations; however the main story of Amy’s disappearance is focused in North Carthage, Missouri. It is a small quaint little town, the type of place where everyone knows anyone. This is just the kind of place where you'd expect something bad to happen and when it does the whole town knows the story in less than a night and all hell breaks loose. Rumors are spread, speculations are made and opinions are formed in the blink of an eye.
Characters: 5/5
This book is all about the character development: how do they react to stressful situations, what secrets are they hiding, what’s going through their heads and the usual suspects.
I’ll assess our hero and heroine separately:
Nick Dunne (a.k.a Lance Nicholas Dunne)
Out of the two I personally preferred Nick. Why? Well I can’t really explain that but I’ll try. For starters I've always seemed to prefer male leads so I guess that could be one reason.
Next, When I was reading this I felt like Nick was a little more human and I was actually able to sympathize with him a lot more. I get it we all make mistakes but to be punished for them by being framed is a little too harsh a consequence. Nick felt trapped throughout the book because his dear, sweet and wonderful wife (Note the sarcasm) set a trap for him and no matter how hard he tried to get out he knew that only she could save him, how cliché right? Yet this book held so many twists and turns I truly felt sorry for Nick. Amy was a manipulative bitch (excuse my language, I guess Nick’s dad did have an influence on me after all) that I just wanted her to mess up to somehow convict herself and make the cops believe Nick when he told them he was being framed but of course that didn't happen. Throughout the book people blame Nick for wanting to be perfect but I honestly feel that Nick wasn’t trying to be perfect at all, he was just trying to hide his flaws and let’s be honest here, name me one human being who doesn’t do that. We all seek out approval and if we need to lie or hide things about ourselves to get that then we will lie and hide, it’s as simple as that.
Okay anyway, overall Nick Dunne was fascinating and a wonderful character. I enjoyed reading about his life and I believe that I got a little attached to him over the course of the novel.
Amy Elliot Dunne
"I had no sympathy for drama queens" Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn.
I'm sorry I just had to put that in there. That would be the definition of irony if it came out of Amy’s mouth. Ah dear, dear Amazing Amy. Where to start with her? Oh I know how about the fact that I hate that blonde idiot!
Okay quick clarification: I loved Amy as a character. She was beautifully written, very interesting and hypnotizing. She really sucked you in to the novel but I absolutely hate her as a person.
Honestly she was a manipulative, insane and power crazed bitch (again excuse my language). Okay so your husband cheats on you and what do you do?
a) Talk it out
b) Get a divorce
c) Frame him for your bloody murder!
The answer, according to Amy is: C
This lady was off her rocker. She would switch her personality like she was changing clothes. She trapped Nick and made it look as if he killed her and get this, framing Nick isn't the first crazy thing she has done. Amy Elliot Dunne made one of her close friends look like a stalker, she framed one of her ex boyfriends for raping her and she created another stalker out of one of her other ex boyfriends oh and spoiler alert she murders said ex boyfriend and makes it look as though he kidnapped and raped her. All that because she wants to go back to her darling husband.
Ok, I’ll cut this short: Amy is absolutely insane!
Don’t believe me, go read the book and find out for yourself.
Thoughts:
In the end this turned out to be an amazing read! (See what I did there?)
I would recommend this to anyone who loves a novel filled with twists and turns and likes to be kept on the edge of their seats. Go and read this book if you haven’t already. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
And lastly thanks to Miss Flynn for giving us such a great book! We forget to thank the people behind the words pretty often, remember if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have these little treasures called books.
Now a quick warning before I start,
1. This review will contain spoilers
2. I'm gonna go on a long rant
3. And I will be rating, plot, setting, etc, all separately, out of 5 each
That being said let’s get right into it!
Plot: 5/5
Now the story starts on the very first day of the disappearance, the day of, which also happens to be the day of Nick and Amy’s fifth anniversary. Everything seems normal at first, seemingly happy wife but a secretly unhappy husband, pretty normal right? However, what Nick doesn’t know is that his wife plans to ruin him and after today he will never feel safe with her. They have an uneventful breakfast and Nick doesn’t suspect anything. He leaves for The Bar, a bar he runs with his twin sister, Margo, nicknamed Go, Dunne.
He chats with her for a bit, telling her that he is unhappy and mentions that he still hasn’t got his wife a present for their special day. They joke around for a bit until The Bar receives a call from one of Nick’s neighbors, who informs him that his front door is wide open and that their pet cat, Bleaker, is sitting on the steps outside.
Nick, alarmed, enters his home only to discover his living in complete ruin. So he phones the cops and they conclude that Amy has gone missing.
Nick and the cops look into Amy’s friends, her old colleges and her supposed stalkers but they don’t come up with anything.
And as the investigation marches on, the police slowly, little by little, begin to find incriminating evidence that suggests that Nick killed his wife. At first Nick is confused and alarmed but a surprising discovery in his sister’s woodshed leads him to believe that his beloved wife is framing him. So he is desperate to prove his innocence but no matter what he does every new piece of evidence incriminates him further. Now he must fight to prove his innocence if he wants to save his life.
After all, Missouri does have the death penalty…
Setting: 3/5
The book takes place in several locations; however the main story of Amy’s disappearance is focused in North Carthage, Missouri. It is a small quaint little town, the type of place where everyone knows anyone. This is just the kind of place where you'd expect something bad to happen and when it does the whole town knows the story in less than a night and all hell breaks loose. Rumors are spread, speculations are made and opinions are formed in the blink of an eye.
Characters: 5/5
This book is all about the character development: how do they react to stressful situations, what secrets are they hiding, what’s going through their heads and the usual suspects.
I’ll assess our hero and heroine separately:
Nick Dunne (a.k.a Lance Nicholas Dunne)
Out of the two I personally preferred Nick. Why? Well I can’t really explain that but I’ll try. For starters I've always seemed to prefer male leads so I guess that could be one reason.
Next, When I was reading this I felt like Nick was a little more human and I was actually able to sympathize with him a lot more. I get it we all make mistakes but to be punished for them by being framed is a little too harsh a consequence. Nick felt trapped throughout the book because his dear, sweet and wonderful wife (Note the sarcasm) set a trap for him and no matter how hard he tried to get out he knew that only she could save him, how cliché right? Yet this book held so many twists and turns I truly felt sorry for Nick. Amy was a manipulative bitch (excuse my language, I guess Nick’s dad did have an influence on me after all) that I just wanted her to mess up to somehow convict herself and make the cops believe Nick when he told them he was being framed but of course that didn't happen. Throughout the book people blame Nick for wanting to be perfect but I honestly feel that Nick wasn’t trying to be perfect at all, he was just trying to hide his flaws and let’s be honest here, name me one human being who doesn’t do that. We all seek out approval and if we need to lie or hide things about ourselves to get that then we will lie and hide, it’s as simple as that.
Okay anyway, overall Nick Dunne was fascinating and a wonderful character. I enjoyed reading about his life and I believe that I got a little attached to him over the course of the novel.
Amy Elliot Dunne
"I had no sympathy for drama queens" Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn.
I'm sorry I just had to put that in there. That would be the definition of irony if it came out of Amy’s mouth. Ah dear, dear Amazing Amy. Where to start with her? Oh I know how about the fact that I hate that blonde idiot!
Okay quick clarification: I loved Amy as a character. She was beautifully written, very interesting and hypnotizing. She really sucked you in to the novel but I absolutely hate her as a person.
Honestly she was a manipulative, insane and power crazed bitch (again excuse my language). Okay so your husband cheats on you and what do you do?
a) Talk it out
b) Get a divorce
c) Frame him for your bloody murder!
The answer, according to Amy is: C
This lady was off her rocker. She would switch her personality like she was changing clothes. She trapped Nick and made it look as if he killed her and get this, framing Nick isn't the first crazy thing she has done. Amy Elliot Dunne made one of her close friends look like a stalker, she framed one of her ex boyfriends for raping her and she created another stalker out of one of her other ex boyfriends oh and spoiler alert she murders said ex boyfriend and makes it look as though he kidnapped and raped her. All that because she wants to go back to her darling husband.
Ok, I’ll cut this short: Amy is absolutely insane!
Don’t believe me, go read the book and find out for yourself.
Thoughts:
In the end this turned out to be an amazing read! (See what I did there?)
I would recommend this to anyone who loves a novel filled with twists and turns and likes to be kept on the edge of their seats. Go and read this book if you haven’t already. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
And lastly thanks to Miss Flynn for giving us such a great book! We forget to thank the people behind the words pretty often, remember if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have these little treasures called books.
The Martian by Andy Weir
5.0
Rating: 5.00
WARNING!!! This review contains spoilers, proceed at your own risk! you have been warned!
Plot:
Mark Watney, an astronaut chosen for the third installment of NASA’s Ares project is left behind on the desolate planet of Mars when he and his crew have to do an emergency evacuation and mission abort. The Ares 3 mission was originally supposed to last 31 Sols (Sols are days on mars that are a little longer than earth days) but was cut short to only six when a massive dust storm hit. NASA fearing that their equipment wouldn’t survive the harsh winds ordered an immediate abort. But of course things went horribly wrong. During the Evac Mark was hit by an antenna and was dragged off into the storm. The crew’s commanding officer, Commander Melissa Lewis tried to desperately locate her crewmate but in the heat of the storm she had lost him. The crew flew away in a craft known as the MAV, mourning their comrade.
Yet he lives, God smiled upon him and Mark manages to survive his near-death. Now he must fight for his survival on a planet that tries to kill him over and over again (only figuratively) and make it home to Earth.
Characters:
This book has a lot of characters, just a warning.
This novel is all about the characters and it mostly focuses on Mark. The book is set up in a way that really allows the reader to feel for Mark. Understand his struggle and feel the emotions he feels. Mark’s character was wonderfully developed: he’s a funny, sarcastic smart-ass who always tackles a situation head on. His wit and quick thinking are what keep him alive as he faces even more dangerous situations and manages to narrowly escape death. Mark is an easy going guy but he’s also a hard worker and is determined to get off Mars alive. There are many times when he could’ve just given up and ended things but he pulls through. Overall his character buildup was strong and it kept its originality throughout the course of the novel.
The other characters were also developed but they were paid little attention since 90% of the time we were focused on Mark.
Overall good characters.
Thoughts:
I loved this book!!! OMFG it was amazing! I really felt for Mark, ya know. This was beautifully written and Weir really manages to pull you in. I sometimes felt like I was talking to Mark, even though the conversation was a little one sided. When something went wrong or it looked like he would die on the red planet I would feel like crying because I am so attached to him. This was also down right Hilarious! You see, Mark’s way of relieving stress and tension is to make jokes. Now I know some people would say “he’s probably gonna die and he’s making stupid jokes just cuz he can! WTF! He should be praying for God to save his sorry ass!”
Yes I get what you're saying but we all have our different coping mechanisms and here Mark’s is to make jokes to ease the stress and pain and guess what it works for him. Okay enough ranting. This book was amazing and I think the only time it didn't have me engaged was during the technical bits and don’t get me wrong, I love science and space but sometimes understanding the science behind everything was a bit confusing and painful (I'm kidding!) but other than that great book.
Down below are some of my favorite quotes, enjoy!
Favorite Quotes:
Page 64
He turned back to Venkat. “I wonder what he’s thinking right now.”
LOG ENTRY: SOL 61
How come Aquaman can control whales? They're mammals! Makes no sense.
Page 94
Hanging up, he grinned at the map. "Mark, you sneaky, clever, son of a bitch!”
Page 98
So, again, I was left without references and relied on Phobos to guide me. There’s probably symbolism there. Phobos is the god of fear, and I'm letting it be my guide. Not a good sign.
Page 118
“Yes!” They said, “Yes!”
I haven’t been this excited about a “yes” since prom night!
Okay, calm down.
Page 152
NASA, however, is probably shitting itself. They see the water reclaimer as a critical survival element. There’s no backup, and they think I’ll die instantly without it. To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s “Tuesday.”
Page 155
“Snowblowers are expensive,” he used to say. “You're free.”
Page 164
It seemed to work well. The seal looked strong and the resin was rock-hard. I did, however, glue my hand to the helmet.
Stop laughing.
Page 171
Potatoes are now extinct on Mars.
Page 220
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped.
Page 221
[11:49] JPL: What we can see of your planned cut looks good. We’re assuming the other side is identical. You're cleared to start drilling.
[12:07] WATNEY: That's what she said.
[12:25] JPL: Seriously, Mark? Seriously?
Page 223
But I settled on “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.
Page 223
[17:21] WATNEY: 145 holes today. 357 total.
[17:31] JPL: We thought you'd have more done by now.
Page 229
Mars keeps trying to kill me.
Well…Mars didn't electrocute Pathfinder. So I’ll amend that:
Mars and my stupidity keep trying to kill me.
Page 273
Live Another Sol would be an awesome name for a James Bond movie.
Page 274
Live Another Sol! (Starring Mark Watney as…probably Q. I'm no James Bond.)
Page 281
The rover and trailer regulate their own temperatures just fine, but things weren’t hot enough in the bedroom.
Story of my life.
Page 289
But who knows? I can see it now: me holding a map, scratching my head, trying to figure out how I ended up on Venus.
Page 295
I can’t wait till I have grandchildren. “When I was younger, I had to walk to the rim of a crater. Uphill! In an EVA suit! On Mars, ya little shit! Ya hear me! Mars!”
And that’s not all of them! But I ran out of energy and patience to write the rest.
If you like funny as hell astronauts fighting for their survival on another planet go read this book.
WARNING!!! This review contains spoilers, proceed at your own risk! you have been warned!
Plot:
Mark Watney, an astronaut chosen for the third installment of NASA’s Ares project is left behind on the desolate planet of Mars when he and his crew have to do an emergency evacuation and mission abort. The Ares 3 mission was originally supposed to last 31 Sols (Sols are days on mars that are a little longer than earth days) but was cut short to only six when a massive dust storm hit. NASA fearing that their equipment wouldn’t survive the harsh winds ordered an immediate abort. But of course things went horribly wrong. During the Evac Mark was hit by an antenna and was dragged off into the storm. The crew’s commanding officer, Commander Melissa Lewis tried to desperately locate her crewmate but in the heat of the storm she had lost him. The crew flew away in a craft known as the MAV, mourning their comrade.
Yet he lives, God smiled upon him and Mark manages to survive his near-death. Now he must fight for his survival on a planet that tries to kill him over and over again (only figuratively) and make it home to Earth.
Characters:
This book has a lot of characters, just a warning.
This novel is all about the characters and it mostly focuses on Mark. The book is set up in a way that really allows the reader to feel for Mark. Understand his struggle and feel the emotions he feels. Mark’s character was wonderfully developed: he’s a funny, sarcastic smart-ass who always tackles a situation head on. His wit and quick thinking are what keep him alive as he faces even more dangerous situations and manages to narrowly escape death. Mark is an easy going guy but he’s also a hard worker and is determined to get off Mars alive. There are many times when he could’ve just given up and ended things but he pulls through. Overall his character buildup was strong and it kept its originality throughout the course of the novel.
The other characters were also developed but they were paid little attention since 90% of the time we were focused on Mark.
Overall good characters.
Thoughts:
I loved this book!!! OMFG it was amazing! I really felt for Mark, ya know. This was beautifully written and Weir really manages to pull you in. I sometimes felt like I was talking to Mark, even though the conversation was a little one sided. When something went wrong or it looked like he would die on the red planet I would feel like crying because I am so attached to him. This was also down right Hilarious! You see, Mark’s way of relieving stress and tension is to make jokes. Now I know some people would say “he’s probably gonna die and he’s making stupid jokes just cuz he can! WTF! He should be praying for God to save his sorry ass!”
Yes I get what you're saying but we all have our different coping mechanisms and here Mark’s is to make jokes to ease the stress and pain and guess what it works for him. Okay enough ranting. This book was amazing and I think the only time it didn't have me engaged was during the technical bits and don’t get me wrong, I love science and space but sometimes understanding the science behind everything was a bit confusing and painful (I'm kidding!) but other than that great book.
Down below are some of my favorite quotes, enjoy!
Favorite Quotes:
Page 64
He turned back to Venkat. “I wonder what he’s thinking right now.”
LOG ENTRY: SOL 61
How come Aquaman can control whales? They're mammals! Makes no sense.
Page 94
Hanging up, he grinned at the map. "Mark, you sneaky, clever, son of a bitch!”
Page 98
So, again, I was left without references and relied on Phobos to guide me. There’s probably symbolism there. Phobos is the god of fear, and I'm letting it be my guide. Not a good sign.
Page 118
“Yes!” They said, “Yes!”
I haven’t been this excited about a “yes” since prom night!
Okay, calm down.
Page 152
NASA, however, is probably shitting itself. They see the water reclaimer as a critical survival element. There’s no backup, and they think I’ll die instantly without it. To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s “Tuesday.”
Page 155
“Snowblowers are expensive,” he used to say. “You're free.”
Page 164
It seemed to work well. The seal looked strong and the resin was rock-hard. I did, however, glue my hand to the helmet.
Stop laughing.
Page 171
Potatoes are now extinct on Mars.
Page 220
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped.
Page 221
[11:49] JPL: What we can see of your planned cut looks good. We’re assuming the other side is identical. You're cleared to start drilling.
[12:07] WATNEY: That's what she said.
[12:25] JPL: Seriously, Mark? Seriously?
Page 223
But I settled on “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.
Page 223
[17:21] WATNEY: 145 holes today. 357 total.
[17:31] JPL: We thought you'd have more done by now.
Page 229
Mars keeps trying to kill me.
Well…Mars didn't electrocute Pathfinder. So I’ll amend that:
Mars and my stupidity keep trying to kill me.
Page 273
Live Another Sol would be an awesome name for a James Bond movie.
Page 274
Live Another Sol! (Starring Mark Watney as…probably Q. I'm no James Bond.)
Page 281
The rover and trailer regulate their own temperatures just fine, but things weren’t hot enough in the bedroom.
Story of my life.
Page 289
But who knows? I can see it now: me holding a map, scratching my head, trying to figure out how I ended up on Venus.
Page 295
I can’t wait till I have grandchildren. “When I was younger, I had to walk to the rim of a crater. Uphill! In an EVA suit! On Mars, ya little shit! Ya hear me! Mars!”
And that’s not all of them! But I ran out of energy and patience to write the rest.
If you like funny as hell astronauts fighting for their survival on another planet go read this book.
Mile 81 by Stephen King
5.0
Hmm. Not sure when I started it. I read this in the Bazaar of bad dreams. I really liked it great story and good characters
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
4.0
Okay let's begin!
Now I know it was a short read and it should not have taken me this long to finish but whatever.
The book is a horror/psychological thriller. It's well written with a few twists and turns.
On to the plot. This is told from the POV of 23 year old Meredith or Merry Berrett who is revising her horrific and tragic past experience to a writer who has agreed to write a book about her.
I won't go into more detail because the plot is very interesting and I probably won't be able to explain it all that well so it's best if you go and read this book yourself.
The novel is essentially Merry recounting the events that took place 15 years ago to the writer.
Overall this was a great read and anyone who likes horror should give it a try.
Now I know it was a short read and it should not have taken me this long to finish but whatever.
The book is a horror/psychological thriller. It's well written with a few twists and turns.
On to the plot. This is told from the POV of 23 year old Meredith or Merry Berrett who is revising her horrific and tragic past experience to a writer who has agreed to write a book about her.
I won't go into more detail because the plot is very interesting and I probably won't be able to explain it all that well so it's best if you go and read this book yourself.
The novel is essentially Merry recounting the events that took place 15 years ago to the writer.
Overall this was a great read and anyone who likes horror should give it a try.
Through the Woods by E.M. Carroll
3.0
Rating 3.80
This was a good read.
The art was very fitting and creepy in its own way. The stories were interesting and to be honest kinda did freak me out. Overall good book. Go read it if you're a fan of creepy and deliciously disturbing comics.
This was a good read.
The art was very fitting and creepy in its own way. The stories were interesting and to be honest kinda did freak me out. Overall good book. Go read it if you're a fan of creepy and deliciously disturbing comics.
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories by Stephen King
3.0
Overall rating: 3.77
Stories are rated individually.
Favourite stories marked by *
*Mile 81- 3.80
Premium Harmony- 2.80
*Batman and Robin have an Altercation- 3.70
*The Dune- 3.75
*The Bad Little Kid- 4.00
A Death- 3.36
The Bone Church- 2.50
Morality- 3.50
*Afterlife- 3.85
*Ur- 4.00
Herman Wouk is still Alive- 3.40
*Under the Weather- 3.90
Blockade Billy- 3.00
*Mister Yummy- 3.87
Tommy- 2.50
*The little Green God of Agony- 3.79
*That bus is Another World- 3.76
*Obits- 4.00
Drunken fireworks- 2.80
*Summer thunder- 3.75
Favourite Quotes
I shoot from the hip and keep a stiff upper lip
- AC/DC
That death personified isn't a skeleton riding on a pale horse with a scythe over his shoulder, but a hot dancehall kid with glitter on his cheeks
If you can remember the sixties, you weren't there.
When things go wrong they keep going wrong until there's tears
Stories are rated individually.
Favourite stories marked by *
*Mile 81- 3.80
Premium Harmony- 2.80
*Batman and Robin have an Altercation- 3.70
*The Dune- 3.75
*The Bad Little Kid- 4.00
A Death- 3.36
The Bone Church- 2.50
Morality- 3.50
*Afterlife- 3.85
*Ur- 4.00
Herman Wouk is still Alive- 3.40
*Under the Weather- 3.90
Blockade Billy- 3.00
*Mister Yummy- 3.87
Tommy- 2.50
*The little Green God of Agony- 3.79
*That bus is Another World- 3.76
*Obits- 4.00
Drunken fireworks- 2.80
*Summer thunder- 3.75
Favourite Quotes
I shoot from the hip and keep a stiff upper lip
- AC/DC
That death personified isn't a skeleton riding on a pale horse with a scythe over his shoulder, but a hot dancehall kid with glitter on his cheeks
If you can remember the sixties, you weren't there.
When things go wrong they keep going wrong until there's tears
I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
5.0
Rating: 4.50
You'll never see us coming.
Plot:
The demon was healthy, the demon was mad as hell, and the demon was headed straight for me.
John Wayne Cleaver isn't your typical teenager. But then again being a diagnosed sociopath at fifteen isn't very typical either.
He knows he’s dangerous, even more dangerous than the serial killers he obsessively studies. So in other to keep himself from murdering his whole town, he creates a set of strict rules to follow. These rules are built to keep him in check and keep his dark and terrifying counterpart, who he calls Mr. Monster, at bay. These rules have created a wall that hides and imprisons his inner demon and gives him a kind of security nothing else can.
But when the peaceful town of Clayton County is hit by a string of grisly murders, the monster behind its wall begins to stir and forces John to confront a truth he’s not ready to admit.
But as he fights an inner battle with himself, a demon prowls the streets of Clayton wreaking havoc and painting the town streets red. And when John discovers the killer’s terrifying secret, it’s up to him to stop the Clayton killer at all costs, but will his dark persona work with him or against him?
Characters:
If you met me on the street, you’d never guess how much I wanted to kill you.
The main character in the novel, John Wayne Cleaver, came a long way in terms of maturation and character development. He grew from his initial structure into something more and despite his lack of empathy, you can still feel the pain and hurt he experiences. But most of all you can feel the loneliness and isolation he experiences because of his sociopathic tendencies. All in all, John was an interesting character I enjoyed reading about him and his pursuits.
The secondary characters in this book weren’t as fleshed out as I’d hoped and they had some minor character development but the bulk of it was focused on John. I'm hoping that in the second novel we get to delve deeper into the lives of the secondary characters.
You are evil, said myself. You are Mr. Monster. You are nothing. You are me.
Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed this very much. It was the perfect blend of dark, disturbing, thrilling and tense. It was a little slow in the beginning but once I reached the halfway point things quickly sped up. I didn't even see that plot twist coming! It was huge and from that moment on I knew I was hooked. This was wonderful, I loved John and I loved his sense of humor! I feel like if I ever met him I wouldn’t mind learning about his unusual hobbies and interests. Overall, simply wonderful!
If you like teenage sociopaths who have dark secrets and a hell of a lot of determination, go read this.
It was time to let the monster out.
You'll never see us coming.
Plot:
The demon was healthy, the demon was mad as hell, and the demon was headed straight for me.
John Wayne Cleaver isn't your typical teenager. But then again being a diagnosed sociopath at fifteen isn't very typical either.
He knows he’s dangerous, even more dangerous than the serial killers he obsessively studies. So in other to keep himself from murdering his whole town, he creates a set of strict rules to follow. These rules are built to keep him in check and keep his dark and terrifying counterpart, who he calls Mr. Monster, at bay. These rules have created a wall that hides and imprisons his inner demon and gives him a kind of security nothing else can.
But when the peaceful town of Clayton County is hit by a string of grisly murders, the monster behind its wall begins to stir and forces John to confront a truth he’s not ready to admit.
But as he fights an inner battle with himself, a demon prowls the streets of Clayton wreaking havoc and painting the town streets red. And when John discovers the killer’s terrifying secret, it’s up to him to stop the Clayton killer at all costs, but will his dark persona work with him or against him?
Characters:
If you met me on the street, you’d never guess how much I wanted to kill you.
The main character in the novel, John Wayne Cleaver, came a long way in terms of maturation and character development. He grew from his initial structure into something more and despite his lack of empathy, you can still feel the pain and hurt he experiences. But most of all you can feel the loneliness and isolation he experiences because of his sociopathic tendencies. All in all, John was an interesting character I enjoyed reading about him and his pursuits.
The secondary characters in this book weren’t as fleshed out as I’d hoped and they had some minor character development but the bulk of it was focused on John. I'm hoping that in the second novel we get to delve deeper into the lives of the secondary characters.
You are evil, said myself. You are Mr. Monster. You are nothing. You are me.
Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed this very much. It was the perfect blend of dark, disturbing, thrilling and tense. It was a little slow in the beginning but once I reached the halfway point things quickly sped up. I didn't even see that plot twist coming! It was huge and from that moment on I knew I was hooked. This was wonderful, I loved John and I loved his sense of humor! I feel like if I ever met him I wouldn’t mind learning about his unusual hobbies and interests. Overall, simply wonderful!
If you like teenage sociopaths who have dark secrets and a hell of a lot of determination, go read this.
It was time to let the monster out.