I did a lot of studying in 2024, and was fairly fortunate to have (largely) loved all of the books and comics I picked up. That would have made it tough to decide on favorites when it got here time to mirror on the 12 months, however there was no query in my thoughts about which ebook I beloved most, as a result of one specifically absolutely knocked me on my ass, ripped my coronary heart out, made me snort, made me cry, and so forth., and so forth., and so forth.: Stephen Graham Jones’ I Was A Teenage Slasher.
Now, I Was A Teenage Slasher wouldn’t appear to be the type story that’d go away you weeping about love and the facility of friendship in the event you’re, you realize, judging a ebook by its cowl. The slasher style isn’t precisely identified for emotional depth, so in the event you went into this pondering you have been simply in for a basic revenge-killing spree with some teenage antics combined in, I wouldn’t blame you. And also you wouldn’t be completely mistaken — this ebook certainly has these issues. However the supernatural slasher aspect, whereas being a significant a part of the plot, feels secondary to the rollercoaster coming of age story that’s actually at its coronary heart.
Tolly Driver doesn’t wish to be a slasher, however he’s. It’s in his blood, because of a string of freak incidents that aligned in simply the suitable solution to seal his destiny. Amber, his greatest good friend and really a ride-or-die, has plenty of data on the topic and primarily turns into his journey information on this bewildering journey. I Was A Teenage Slasher offers with numerous tough topics, just like the grief of shedding a father or mother younger, one thing I immediately associated to, the strain of attempting to do proper by the individuals you like, and the terrifying actuality of rising up and rising into your self. But it surely’s additionally fairly often humorous, which helped offset all of the gore and tragedy.
That is the second 12 months in a row a Stephen Graham Jones ebook has landed on the prime of my record, which isn’t shocking as a result of I’m a giant fan, however I Was A Teenage Slasher is basically on one other stage. It isn’t simply one among my favourite books of the 12 months, it’s most likely one among my favourite books ever. I needed to begin it over the second I completed studying it, however I couldn’t as a result of I used to be crying too arduous. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor