Hello Blogging World!

Jonny

I’m Jonny, book addict. I seriously needed another dose of bookish greatness after the first Locke & Key blew me away!

Misty

Hey guys, it’s me again. After the huge success of Locke & Key vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft Jonny and I have decided to continue on with the series so you will be seeing a lot of me.

This buddy read and rant is for Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games by Joe Hill.

Blurb:

Following a shocking death that dredges up memories of their father’s murder, Kinsey and Tyler Locke are thrown into choppy emotional waters, and turn to their new friend, Zack Wells, for support, little suspecting Zack’s dark secret.

Meanwhile, six-year-old Bode Locke tries to puzzle out the secret of the head key, and Uncle Duncan is jarred into the past by a disturbingly familiar face.

Open your mind – the head games are just getting started

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I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

Buddy Read Book Rant:

Misty

Ok Jonny lets get this thing started. Let’s start easy shall we? How did you feel about vol. 2? Did it live up to your expectations after reading and loving the first one?

For me I would say yes it did. I really enjoyed reading this one. Something was lacking in this one that made it a 4.5 star rating and not a 5 star rating for me but I’m still really enthralled with the story and can’t wait to read the next one and hopefully have more questions answered and more things revealed.

Jonny

Overall, I felt this novel really lived up to how great the first one was, with a couple differences.

I agree with you that there was something a bit lacking from the first one. For me, I think it was the action part of things. It didn’t move quite as fast and took on more of a psychological thriller vibe.

What do you think was lacking on your end?

Misty

To tell you the truth I don’t really know. I really enjoyed it but I didn’t really get that edge of my seat feeling like I did with the first one. I think the lack of action could be the reason I didn’t have that feeling though.

Jonny

Yeah, I can understand that. It definitely had a more restrained approach this time around.

What in particular did you love about this one?

I liked that they switched up the POV’s to include some not from the Locke family. I think them doing that is important, and it helped tell the story on different levels. I also really loved the tidbits of the past we got. I must unravel the mystery of what happened!

Misty

I agree I did enjoy getting the perspective of other characters outside of the Locke family as well but that was also hard to keep up with because the switch was abrupt. I also still really enjoy the illustrations and how well they depict the story and how he doesn’t shy away from the gore but it’s not overly done at the same time.

Jonny

It’s funny you mention that! One of the notes I made was that some POV switches were very short-lived, sometimes little more than a couple pages. I get the effect the author was going for (something like a show or movie where there are brief scenes), but I wanted more than just a few pages. Kinda gives you whiplash a bit.

Yeah, that artwork is spot on! Zero complaints in that department.

Oh, I can’t believe I almost forgot. How about Dodge’s actions this time? I think he got even more horrifying. He is demented and will do ANYTHING to get what he wants. Pure evil! I definitely fear him a little bit more after reading this book.

Misty

I agree things have escalated to new levels where Dodge is concerned and escalated fast. I still want to know what Dodge actually is and what it is he is after. I’m hoping that a lot more will get revealed in the next one.

Jonny

Yeah, totally! Let me just say it’s VERY different from the series in certain ways.

Actually I read some extra little tidbits present in the book (I did a little sleuthing) and have an idea, but that’s all it is at this point. We can talk outside of this later if you wanna gab, I just don’t want to give my theory away. Too spoilery!

But yes, hopefully we get some more info next time and a little bit more action to keep us on the edge of our seats. Man, this was such a great read. Thanks again for being my book buddy. 🙂

Misty

I am excited to finally be able to watch the adaptation of it after we finish reading all of them.

Oh I’m interested in hearing your idea.

I look forward to seeing where the author goes with the next book. Of course!! I love buddy reading with you. Thank you for suggesting we read it.

Jonny

I think you’ll like it. I’m definitely going to rewatch the whole thing after just to note the differences. Maybe I’ll appreciate it more than I already do!

Yeah! I’ll give you those deets in a little bit.

Me too. Joe Hill has surprised me so far, and I hope he keeps it up!

Very welcome. 🙂

Misty

From the trailer it definitely seems like I will enjoy it.

I have been meaning to read something by him for a while now. I’m glad I finally picked something up. I definitely plan to read something else by him after we finish this series.

Jonny

I hope you do.

Oh, me too! NOS4A2 is relatively high up on my list, though I’d like to read it around Christmastime to fit the seasonal setting.

Thanks again for doing this with me. So excited for the next book!

Misty

There’s no telling when I will actually get around to reading them but I definitely will eventually.

You’re very welcome. I’m looking forward to reading the next book as well.

That’s A Wrap!

Thanks for joining us on our buddy read and rant of Head Games! We had a lot of fun, and hope you did too! We will definitely be doing some more buddy reads in the future, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, why not check out Misty and Jonny’s other fun buddy reads?

Buddy Read: Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

Buddy Read: Dark Lover

Buddy Read: Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain

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