78 Most Popular Series - Don't Fear the Reaper
In case you missed it, I’m reading my way through the Goodreads 78 Most Popular Horror List - check out the series here.
“If it turns out you’re from Proofrock, then either you were almost killed in the water watching Jaws, or you knew somebody who was.”
Clearly, I’m in my Stephen Graham Jones era. It’s not my fault. He’s a genius. There’s a reason he’s on the list 4 times.
For this round, I actually re-read My Heart is a Chainsaw first. I first read this in September of 2021 and rated it 5 stars. I remember enjoying it, but not necessarily being blown away by it, which was perhaps why I never picked up the sequel.
Thank god I re-read it though. 2021 Charlotte was going through some shit and clearly couldn’t see what a fucking perfect book this is. Luckily 2024 Charlotte picked this baby up, devoured it, sobbed, screamed, gasped, laughed, and had it fundamentally change her forever. Genuinely, My Heart is a Chainsaw is a masterpiece.
But we’re here to talk about Don’t Fear the Reaper, the second book in this trilogy, and the middle child.
Jade has returned to Proofrock after being released from jail after the trial of her potentially murdering her Dad during the Lake Witch Slayings of the first novel. She’s out on probation, with a promise to not destroy any more government property. In tandem with this is the serial killer Dark Mill South who is being transported nearby Proofrock. Unfortunately for Proofrock, and fortunately for Dark Mill South, an avalanche hits and he is free again. He begins his rampage across the town.
There is a lot of moving parts in this story. There’s also a lot of killers, horrible people, and twists and turns. I was thoroughly shocked when the many Ginger/Cinn reveals happened, but by the end I was all turned around and had to re-read those chapters a few time to truly understand who was who and what was what. Which kind of took away from the shock. BUT - it was a genius twist.
Another thing that blew me out of the water (no offence intended, Stacey Graves) was the white elk reveal and how it was Melanie inside of it. And how Melanie was the thing that Cinn and Ginger found in the lake. What an unbelievably beautiful and clever reveal. I burst into tears as Hardy held her close and Jade helped him walk across the lake towards the dam.
And let’s talk about Hardy. And Jade. And Letha. Although it’s hard to put into words the heart wrenching sweetness and love that these three have for each other. Jade is this harsh, tough, beaten, and savage young woman who so deeply needs love and kindness but doesn’t want to accept it. Hardy becoming her real father figure just broke me in the best way. Every scene with them was so beautiful and emotional and watching Jade learn to be vulnerable and honest with him is something that will stick with me for a long time.
Then we have Letha and Jade, two reluctant best friends who are so much stronger together. Jade finally admitting to herself near the end of the book that Letha is indeed her best friend was such a massive leap forward for her as a character. And it makes me reminisce to the scene where they first meet in the girl’s bathroom. Jade saw Letha as this ethereal princess, someone completely unattainable to her. Letha saw Jade as a young punk who needed saving. But as the years have passed, they have switched their roles, Jade becoming this final girl hero figure to Letha, and Letha becoming someone Jade needs to protect and fight for at all costs. It’s just so perfect.
And the way Jade sacrifices her freedom at the end for Letha, so she can have her husband and her daughter and her own version of freedom, MY HEART (is a chainsaw) COMPLETELY BROKE!
“But, that’s just it, isn’t it? They were plural, not singular, that’s where horror movies have it all wrong, that’s where the slasher lies: it’s not about a lone girl carving her way to daylight, is it? It’s about two girls making it across the ice together.”
I just love how reflective Jade is in this story. She’s faced repeatedly with slasher obsessives like herself which shows her a mirror up to her high school self. And she has to really battle with herself to find a happy medium of being present in real life and being a slasher fan. She is also faced with her childhood home, the town she grew up in changing and evolving, and even reflecting on her mom and allowing happy memories to come through.
The kills in this book also ramp up, which is of course in align with a true slasher sequel. I can only imagine what I’m in store for in the final book. We also get a few more modern references in this one including It Follows, Halloween (2018), Happy Death Day, and Ready or Not (to name a few). There were some hmm…skinning?….scenes in here that I almost threw up reading. Absolutely savage in the best way.
“…so Jade steels herself like she always has, like the final girl she is, and she keeps walking.”
Overall, here’s how I sum this all up:
Stephen Graham Jones is a genius.
I will be talking about nothing but these two books for the foreseeable future.
Jade fucking Daniels.
That makes 40 total read out of the 78. And another 5 star!