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A review by cyanide_latte
Liar, Liar, Head on Fire by Vera Strange
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
WELL. OKAY THEN.
While this book isn't bad, I am going to say here is where I DNF this series as a whole.
None of these have any endings where the kids are allowed to technically survive. Like, the Disney team knows that's allowed even in a Goosebumps knockoff series about kids FAFOing with villains, right? We would all love to see our fave villains win now and then, but none of these kids have really been allowed to grow and then survive. That...IS an option, actually. They can grow, they can survive, and THEN THEY CAN BE HAUNTED BY THEIR EXPERIENCES AND CHOICES. IT'D BE NICE TO SEE THAT NOW AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW. Horror isn't simply about "you FAFO, you regret it, you start to grow as a person, and then you die/cease to exist in some horrible way", and yet that's kinda what this series is. Nothing against the author, as my guess is she's under contract and has to write things a certain way for this series, and she very clearly writes well. But wow is this just getting monotonous and depressing. Shame, I had higher hopes for this series than this.
While this book isn't bad, I am going to say here is where I DNF this series as a whole.
None of these have any endings where the kids are allowed to technically survive. Like, the Disney team knows that's allowed even in a Goosebumps knockoff series about kids FAFOing with villains, right? We would all love to see our fave villains win now and then, but none of these kids have really been allowed to grow and then survive. That...IS an option, actually. They can grow, they can survive, and THEN THEY CAN BE HAUNTED BY THEIR EXPERIENCES AND CHOICES. IT'D BE NICE TO SEE THAT NOW AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW. Horror isn't simply about "you FAFO, you regret it, you start to grow as a person, and then you die/cease to exist in some horrible way", and yet that's kinda what this series is. Nothing against the author, as my guess is she's under contract and has to write things a certain way for this series, and she very clearly writes well. But wow is this just getting monotonous and depressing. Shame, I had higher hopes for this series than this.