Look Out. This is Extremely Gory, Guaranteed.

Warning: Do not read this if you have not read My Heart is a Chainsaw. The book itself published a review on the inside cover stating, “Knocks it out of the park both as a standalone novel and as the second within a trilogy” by Tor.com. I must warn you that this is entirely misleading. If you read this novel as a standalone without first reading My Heart is a Chainsaw, the entire book will be lost on you. There are too many references to the first novel without providing any background information to get you up to speed.

3.5 rounded to 4. The second book in the trilogy lost my interest after an exceptional intro to the series. My Heart is a Chainsaw was just top-notch (dare I say chef’s kiss?) and I knew it was going to be hard to beat. I loved Jade’s character in My Heart is a Chainsaw and while I understand her development in this novel, I wanted the old Jade back. The characters in this novel were a bit lackluster, and I felt the mystery at the center of this one was convoluted. I might need to give this a reread to fully understand it which is why I rounded my review to 4-stars for now.

This book is enjoyable as a slasher in that there is a high body count and lots of gore. The only reason it lost a star for me was because it did not meet or exceed my expectations for being an intelligent horror novel like its predecessor. It did not gut-punch me like its predecessor, either.