This is my first Stephen King book! I’m so happy to finally say that.

For a few years, I’ve been trying to read books by Stephen King, but I got bored very quickly. This has nothing to do with the author. I think I wasn’t ready at the time. I also think I didn’t have the best relationship with reading and writing. I have a better one now and I think I can explore different forms of literature in a respectful way.

I’m a mood reader, so I know I can’t read books just because I want to read them. I need to be in the right place. With Stephen King, I found that I need to be in the mood to read a story similarly written to American Gods by Neil Gaiman. See this post if you’re interested in my review of the book where I describe the writing style.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman: What Is America?

Now that I’ve read one book from him, I look forward to exploring more of his work. I can’t wait to see what I find.

Synopsis

When the women around the world fall asleep, a web covers their face. If cut, they become feral, killing those who do. Only one woman is not affected, Evie, but who is she? Friend? Enemy? Many will know soon.

Book Information

Genre: Horror
Category: Adult
Explicit sex: Not much
Explicit violence: Yes
Content warnings I noticed: Harassment, sexual assault, a description of birth, and violence
This is a standalone.

Review

The prose is good. It’s accessible and easy to read. However, what could bother readers is how dry it is. Truthfully, if I were reading this in Braille, I wouldn’t have finished this book because I would get bored and distracted, but it’s easy to get passed that when listening to it.

I enjoyed descriptions here. They’re very straightforward while also being detailed. Pain especially is described in excruciating detail.

The story is told similarly to American Gods by Neil Gaiman. The plot very loosely connects all the events, but it acts like backdrop.

The pacing is good. It’s very slow. While it builds up the story well, this can bother some readers. Again, the story is told similarly to American Gods. It’s very character-driven and wanders away from the plot. I enjoyed coming back to this writing style. It feels like slice of life anime. It feels comfortable.

There are very interesting themes explored here, including all the things women have to deal with. Why they would prefer the second place they visit during sleep. I found it relatable in many ways. The exploration is done well.

The characters are good. They’re three-dimensional and interesting to follow. However, there are too many characters, making it hard to follow them. Somehow, though, they have satisfying arcs.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a good story. I enjoyed reading it, especially considering I finished The Maid before this one. I got exactly what I was promised and I’m happy. I rated it four stars.