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Char's Reviews > Holly
Holly
by
by
Char's review
bookshelves: abuse, addiction, dysfunctional-family, dark-fiction, crime, cannibals, plague, audio-book, psychological-horror
Sep 10, 2023
bookshelves: abuse, addiction, dysfunctional-family, dark-fiction, crime, cannibals, plague, audio-book, psychological-horror
As always, the King creates memorable characters.
Holly, having just lost her mom to COVID, and having taken up smoking again, (something I recently did myself after my mom's passing last year), she needs to keep her mind occupied. Enter the case of a missing beautiful teen girl, and we are off with Holly as she gets to work.
This is King writing crime at his best. Yes, there are horrific elements here and plenty of them, but at heart this is the story of Holly, and I freaking love her. I recommend that you read the Mr. Mercedes crime trilogy and then The Outsider before you read this. So much background will be lost if you don't, and you will never be able to understand just how far Holly has come. You would be cheating yourself of the best part of all these books-Holly's growth.
The two villains here are elderly, retired professors. That's why it's so jarring and terrifying to learn about the depth of their crimes. I'm not spoiling anything, but be prepared for a bit of gore and many genuine ewwwwws.
I imagine a certain group of folk out there will not like this book and will down vote it or 1 star it, based on their politics. I am rating it based on my heart. I originally gave this 4 stars, but after some mulling I have upped it to 5. Holly has wormed her way deep into my heart and I hope that we haven't seen the last of her.
Holly, having just lost her mom to COVID, and having taken up smoking again, (something I recently did myself after my mom's passing last year), she needs to keep her mind occupied. Enter the case of a missing beautiful teen girl, and we are off with Holly as she gets to work.
This is King writing crime at his best. Yes, there are horrific elements here and plenty of them, but at heart this is the story of Holly, and I freaking love her. I recommend that you read the Mr. Mercedes crime trilogy and then The Outsider before you read this. So much background will be lost if you don't, and you will never be able to understand just how far Holly has come. You would be cheating yourself of the best part of all these books-Holly's growth.
The two villains here are elderly, retired professors. That's why it's so jarring and terrifying to learn about the depth of their crimes. I'm not spoiling anything, but be prepared for a bit of gore and many genuine ewwwwws.
I imagine a certain group of folk out there will not like this book and will down vote it or 1 star it, based on their politics. I am rating it based on my heart. I originally gave this 4 stars, but after some mulling I have upped it to 5. Holly has wormed her way deep into my heart and I hope that we haven't seen the last of her.
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Reading Progress
August 11, 2023
– Shelved
August 11, 2023
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 5, 2023
–
Started Reading
September 5, 2023
–
30.0%
September 10, 2023
–
Finished Reading
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
addiction
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
abuse
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
dysfunctional-family
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
dark-fiction
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
crime
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
cannibals
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
plague
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
audio-book
September 15, 2023
– Shelved as:
psychological-horror
Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)
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by
Chuck
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Sep 16, 2023 09:29AM
Great review Char! King has created his greatest character to date. I just received my hard cover book in the mail yesterday.
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Thank you, Chuck! I hope with all my heart that you love this gruesome, awesome book as much as I did. 🙂
Awesome review, Char! Loved this one! Holly is freaking awesome! :)
Nice review and hell yeah, King delivered! To be honest, this was such an epic novel, I loved all the rollercoaster emotions it gave me. From the horror to the evolution of Holly on top of her dealing with what she was going through, this was a masterpiece in my eyes. This might very well end up being my favorite book of 2023!
Own it. Saving it for the Halloween month - can't wait!
LTJ wrote: "Nice review and hell yeah, King delivered! To be honest, this was such an epic novel, I loved all the rollercoaster emotions it gave me. From the horror to the evolution of Holly on top of her deal..."It was so damn good! I'm glad you enjoyed it too, my friend!
Do you have to read the other two books before this one?
My answer to you, Chloe, is no. But it makes for a more satisfactory reading experience if you follow Holly from the start...Others may disagree.
I agree with Jaksen, you don't HAVE to, but you will understand much more of this book and the characters if you read those first.
Thanks Char! It hadn't occurred to me that this is the Holly that we're come to know and love from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and Outsider. That tidbit puts this on my 'must read' list.
If this one is filled to the brim again with his anti conservative jargon then Holly will probably be my last King novel. Getting tired of reading about his thoughts on racism, COVID, Trump, etc. His last several books have been filled to the brim with this stuff and it's actually ruined the world building and characters and everything else for me.I really hope this one is different and he actually focuses on fictional horror, and not real life horror. If not this will be my last. King's clear hate of Trump really tainted his last several books for me.
One thing that I still love about Dean Koontz.....he talks NOTHING about real world issues in his thrillers. Mr. King, take note!
Koontz sucks. Good guy, bad guy, good dog. The end. How does it feel when someone shits all over something you like?
Two minds, one thought Char!
I actually like the fact that most of King's books reflect the era in which they are set. Makes it all the more horrifying real, for me. And many a writer reflects their beliefs into their storylines, whether it be politics, religion, and so forth. But in the end, just don't read what you don't like. That's what I do.
Jaksen wrote: "I actually like the fact that most of King's books reflect the era in which they are set. Makes it all the more horrifying real, for me. And many a writer reflects their beliefs into their storyl..."
Exactly! No sense going around disrespecting those who disagree. Who has time for that anyway? I'd rather be reading.
Hah! There are few things I like better than reading: eating and sleeping, maybe.
Yes, Holly is a well rendered character. Hope he does another book. Could do without Jerome and Barbara though....
