College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever.
Stephen King novels are very hit or miss with me. I would
love to say that I really enjoy them all and I can get into them right away,
but that isn’t the case. When they hit – they hit hard, though. That is exactly
what Joyland did. It hooked me from the very first page, and it didn’t let go.
I'm not sure what was so gripping about this novel. It had to
be a combination of the amusement park mystique as well as the inner monologue
of Devin. He is a very relatable character, and that fact made it easier to
read through the book. I would read a sequel written from his point of view as
well. He has a lot of insightful thoughts and an interesting personality.
Every character in this novel was really complex, and they
all added to the intrigue of the story.
I was expecting it to be a little more in the horror genre,
but I would call it more of a suspense novel. Nothing about it was really
scary, but the mystery of it all kept me guessing and kept me holding on until
the last page.
Also – I loved Annie and Mike, and the end of this book made
me very, very sad.
5/5 Stars. Highly, highly recommend this one. This book touched me in ways I never would have expected.
Memorable Quotes: “That first broken heart is always the
most painful, the slowest to mend, and leaves the most visible scar.”
“Love leaves scars.”
“You think ‘Okay, I get it, I’m prepared for the worst,’ but
you hold out on that small hope, see, and that’s what fucks you up. That’s what
kills you.”
“The powers that be have a way of outlawing many beautiful
things made by ordinary people. I don’t know why that should be, I only know it
is.”
“The last good time always comes, and when you see the
darkness creeping towards you, you hold on to what was bright and good. You
hold on for dear life.”
