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tupeloallie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer and Cursing
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Blood, and Police brutality
lisaloveslions's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
eadrianschmitz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
<SPOILERS>
Not only was it unbelievable that Brady's gun shot was stopped by a bunch of stuff in Freddie's breast pocket but you're telling me she could fit all that stuff in her breast pocket?! That's one hell of a pocket capacity!
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
himpersonal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
theimposter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
- 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
This trilogy is a mash-up of murder mystery, police procedural, monster hunt, love story, and buddy comedy. But it also boldly tackles big issues like depression, anxiety, grief, child abuse, toxic relationships, and suicide. In the Author’s Note, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is provided, along with words of encouragement for anyone who might need them.
The story is delivered at a driving pace, and for those who’ve been traveling the Mr. Mercedes roadway from start to finish, it’s a page turner with a bittersweet but inevitable conclusion. Is it satisfying? Sure, it does the story justice. But at the same time, it’s like moving out of your parents’ home or leaving college - you’re excited to finish that phase of your life, but sad that it’s something being left behind forever because you can’t go back.
I listened to the audiobook and once again, Will Patton is an incomparable narrator. He superbly voices and gives life to all the book’s characters in the most professional and endearing way. His narration is so well fitted to SK’s writing style and characterization. A match made in heaven!
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Grief
zakcebulski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I read through the Bill Hodges trilogy over the last two to three weeks or so. I really enjoyed going through each back to back to back and getting invested in this world.
I don't think that it is a secret that the Bill Hodges trilogy is pretty divisive amongst King fans. The typical ranking that I see online is it is 1>3>2... However, I have to rearrange that ranking. I would say that it is 1>2>3. I will be honest that I really did not enjoy the third entry to this series.
I felt that this book was more a slog than anything else. The book follows Bill Hodges and his partner- Holly Gibney as they once again are involved in thwarting the plans of Brady Hartsfield.
Brady, after getting his shit rocked by Holly at the 'Round Here concert has been in a near vegetative state. But, Holly, unbeknownst to her, apparently knocked some type of telekinetic powers into Brady. He is then, via use of game systems, able to hypnotically suggest people kill themselves which he very unfortunately succeeds in doing many times.
I thought that this was an interesting set up, but, all in all, I just was not invested as much in this story as I was in Mr. Mercedes or Finders Keepers. I thought that the realistic inspired events of the mass killing in the first book and the thwarted terrorist plot hit upon real life tragedies in a way that made them very scary.
In the second book the cat and mouse game between two very similar minded people separated by decades was enticing and interesting reading it as a book nerd.
But, this book, I was just overly disinterested in. I felt that the possession aspect was fine, but, I thought it was accomplished better, in my opinion in something like Desperation. It was also scarier in that book, though I know that it was a different form of possession.
While I typically don't mind suspending my disbelief while reading the schlock of some of King's works, this one just felt goofy to me almost like King wanted Brady to come back in some way but didn't know how, and then landed on astral projection. Just very... fine? Brady in this book is still a repugnant little fucking shit, but, he seems less scary this time around. He thankfully does not spout off his vile racist rants as often, but, I just don't think that he is as scary as he was in the first book when he was an elusive attempted terrorist and mass murderer. This may be due to the fact that his crimes in the first book are so heartbreakingly commonplace in the US these days, but, I just felt that the hypnotic suggestions of suicides were... not as scary.
I will say that I loved the return of the main cast. I really appreciate that Hodges and Holly are back. It was great to see the furthering of their relationship and the continued growth of Holly's character. I know that she is not everyone's cup of tea but, I really like Holly as a character. As someone who is technically neurodivergent I can say that I think King handled her character very well. It was really a toss up between doing it well and doing it horribly offensively. I think even her idiosyncratic shouts of "fracking" or "ouugh!" are endearing and I love reading about how she is more and more confident in her work. I, for one, am looking forward to reading more about her in the other books wherein she is a central or leading character.
Hodges is old in this one, and he is suffering through a battle with pancreatic cancer. King's writing about the pains that Hodges is enduring are palpable and well done to the point where you can't help but sympathize with him and empathize with him.
I think that a big thing that I think dragged down my enjoyment of this book, as morbid as it sounds, is that I never necessarily felt that and of any of the main cast were at risk of death against Brady. It felt like he was killing a bunch of side characters by forcing them to kill themselves. This, of course, is fucking terrifying and very hard to read, but, I never felt like there was any mortal danger for the heroes. Even at the end when Hodges and Holly are in a gun fight with Brady inhabiting the doctor, it feels like the stakes are not high. This, and when Jerome's sister are hit by a truck, are the only times when I felt like there was any risk to the characters, which just left me turning the pages until the end. Had one of the main cast, or even main supporting characters fallen victim to Brady, in this book or the first one, I think that there would have been much more weight to Brady's villainous self. It was satisfying knowing that Brady suffered in his last moments, but, man, I just feel like he was a villain that had such a fucking strong buildup, but, it just fell woefully short of the max potential of a truly outstanding villain.
Overall, I don't have much more to say about this book. I think that the book was fine. That is the most I can say for or against it. It just was not something that I was super invested in, which is disappointing because I seem to be in the minority for people who really like the first two of the BHT.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
literarymadmax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Bullying, Racial slurs, Self harm, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail