Rating: 5/10
I wouldn't say that I was disappointed by this book, but it was kind of middle-of-the-road. The book was very short, so short that I'm going to cut this review very short. I was literally the size of a Goosebumps book, with a font size to match. I won't say that I didn't like the book, I would definitely read the sequel. It was just alright, like it wasn't great/wasn't terrible, it was just alright. Like, the story itself was interesting. Clive Barker's writing style is very intricate and lovely. It isn't plain by any means. This can make it more heavy of a read, but I think it really adds to the book. The story itself was very creative, it takes a special person to be able to create such a weird book. The S&M motif didn't feel very played up, but rather it felt like just another factor that went into the dark character of Frank Cotton. On the subject of characters though, I must say that they were in possession of practically no personality. The characters were so one-dimensional, that it felt as if they only existed, simply to move the plot along. They felt as if they were robots that were impersonating people. They were all in possession of like one personality trait. Julia was a bitch; Rory was aloof; Kirsty was simpering; and Frank was just a dick. This book would've had a much lower rating if I didn't find the writing to be so impressive and the story so appealing. I liked that Barker made the characters possess very realistic attributes (even if they're practically nonexistent otherwise). It's kind of crazy that this story focuses so much on the characters and yet they barely exist. It also feels like there wasn't enough background. Like I want to know more about the Cenobites. What exactly are they? I just have a million questions that weren't really answered.