e-Audio, 09:32:14
Narrated by: Breton Lalama, Mich Anger, & Arlen Aguayo Stewart
Release Date: June 4, 2024
Published by: Tundra
Read from: June 22-30, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Libby
Content Warning: Gore, Animal death, Body horror, Dysphoria, Violence, Death, Bullying, Blood, Hate crime, Child death, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Police brutality (emotional/verbal violence), Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Mental illness, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Racial slurs (implied), Vomit
For Readers Interested In: Horror, 2sLGBTQ+ (Trans), Multiple POVs, YADeath is neither the beginning nor the end for the children of Bridlington in this debut trans YA horror book for fans of Rory Power and Danielle Vega.
Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no accident — there’s a monster under the town, and she’s determined to kill it before anyone else gets hurt. She’ll need the help of her crew — inseparable friends, bound by a childhood pact stronger than diamonds, distance or death — to hunt it down. But she’s up against a greater force of evil than she ever could have imagined.
With shifting timeframes and multiple perspectives, Lockjaw is a small-town ghost story, where monsters living and dead haunt the streets, the homes and the minds of the inhabitants. For readers of Wilder Girls and The Haunted, this trans YA horror book by an incredible debut author will grab you and never let you go.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Idk what I was thinking when I read this, but it wasn’t that. It was so good and so unexpected. Not in a bad way at all, just in a “I had no idea what i thought this was about, but it wasn’t that kind of way lol I should really read the synopsis of books sometimes lol
Ok so the characters were what did it for me. They were creepy. Like they legit had me creeped out when I was reading this. And of course they were all creepy in their own way. Like that one person they were all trying to impress? I was very, very weirded out by that person. And I also loved that we got a POV from the dog too! (Which was a little scary. I was a little sad about some of the things that happened there….) And just as a heads up, there are a lot of different POVs. But they all serve a purpose, so even if you’re not a fan of a lot of POVs, just think of it as you get the story from all sides.
But even though the kids were weird, I was still hella interested in the “monster” that was terrorizing the town. The way they talked about it it was so creepy. When we finally find out what the monster is, it gave me all the feels. But also creepy feels lol It was a lot. I don’t want to explain more because of spoilers, but once you read it you’ll understand. Those kids were terrible and I loved them, but that didn’t mean I didn’t hate a lot of the stuff they did.
The entire reason I wanted to read this tho was because I had seen this pitched as a “trans horror thriller” and if you didn’t know, that is quite literally an easy way to get me lol All three of those could be considered buzz words for me lol I’m not part of the 2sLGBTQ+ community, but I have seen some other reviews that said the rep was great and that they all loved it. I’m from the outside looking in, but I thought it was great as well. Please, read it and let me know what you think!
This was such an interesting book and yet I’m still trying to review it without saying too much about it. It drew me in from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down. I was listening to this everywhere. Like even when I was trying to put my kid to sleep lol I know this review was vague af, but I really don’t want to spoil anything. Now go get your own copy and fill in the blanks!
Overall, I give this
