2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 1 book toward her goal of 285 books.
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2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 5 books toward her goal of 265 books.
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Book Review: Mister Tender’s Girl by Carter Wilson

I won this in the late Fall last year, and didn’t receive it until February. To be honest, I’d forgotten about it – then it suddenly arrived. Then it sat on my To Be Reviewed pile – because, again, forgotten…

I’m SO glad I picked it up – I read it in a marathon over a couple of days (I don’t get hours and hours at a time to read anymore, Life constantly interferes, so my marathons these days are longer than they used to be) and the creepy feeling of being watched never left me from the first pages to the last!

Carter Wilson has created a seriously creepy tale of paranoia, fear, love, trust, and twisted emotion that was a marvelous read full of spiderweb corners and pictures with eyes that follow you around the room.

The inspiration (the Slender Man stabbing) offered an eerie background fog; Wilson’s version of a similarly-inspired attack whispers in the dark, creating a chilling sensation that something is coming, you just never know quite when or how. Then – BAM! – it hits, and everything is thrown into violent technicolor upheaval. Just when it seems like poor Alice is finally getting a grasp on things – BAM! BAM! – another one-two punch comes along to knock her off-kilter… She manages to remain standing (no small feat, that) and Wilson manages to keep both the knocks and the stand-stills engaging, entertaining, and page-turning (again, no small feat).

It’s not for the faint of heart. There’s a LOT of truly gruesome bits here, as well as an atmospheric creep-factor that is almost off the charts. The book brings to life not only Mister Tender and his graphic form of evil, but also the less obvious but no less insidious forms that are found lurking in the constantly-watching, constantly-connected modern technological era as well – and at times, it is difficult to say which creeped me out more.

This was a great, quick read full of surprises, shadows and switchbacks – I’ll be watching for more from Carter Wilson, and so should you!

My review copy was provided through BookishFirst.

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