DISCLAIMER: First and foremost, understand that my reviews/ratings are entirely subjective, and for the purposes of this site, are based on very specific criteria. A high rating does not necessarily mean you will love the book. Similarly, a low rating does not mean the book is bad, nor should it reflect poorly on the author, or their body of work. It only means that my reading criteria and the author’s writing criteria may not align.
Authors are heroes, and every book is right for someone, even if that someone is not me. Shout out to ALL authors, whether they are traditionally published, self-published, or still aspiring.
How I Review & Rate
I will be using a very specific rating criteria, based on film theorist Carol Clover’s benchmark slasher observations. In her 1992 book, Men, Women, and Chainsaws, Clover both coined the term “Final Girl,” and stated that the sub-genre revolves around five key tropes:
1) The Masked Killer; 2) The Terrible Place where the victims gather; 3) The Weapons, typically a “pretechnical” spread of phallic symbols, like butcher knives and chainsaws; 4) The Victims: a group of mostly female teens, including of course, The Final Girl, who is the embodiment of Goodness (pretty, virginal, smart) and the only one fit to destroy Evil; 5) The Shock Value.
Playing on Clover’s tropes, I will rate each book out of 5 Butcher Knives 🔪 using the following criteria:
Rating Criteria
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The Killer: Are they scary? In what ways do they represent our societal fears?
The Terrible Place: Is the setting significant, immersive, and leveraged to great effect?
The Weapons/Shock Value: Is violence used appropriately to enhance the horror/thrills?
The Victims: Are the victims diverse and well-developed?
The Final Girl: Is she interesting and well-developed? See below for FG rating criteria
I will also give a separate rating out of 5 Black Hearts 🖤 for the Final Girl in each book, laid out at the end of each review in a Final Girl Scorecard:
Final Girl Scorecard
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Character Development: Does she feel like a real person? Does she learn/grow?
Strengths/weaknesses: Does she have them and are they used well?
Intersectionality: The virgin-next-door template is a bore! Is there more to her?
Smarts: Does she make good choices in a tough situation?
Badassness: Does she take the killer down in an exciting/creative way?
Well, now that you know what lies ahead, I hope you’ll plunge into these books with me, knife first.
Want to Read Along with Me?
Join my Final Girl Bookclub on Fable to read along with me. Fable is entirely virtual, with all chatter taking place in chapter-by-chapter discussion threads. I hope to see you there!
Slashing Pages 