I did many readings in 2024, and I was very lucky to (mostly) enjoy all the books and comics I picked up. This may have made it difficult to pick favorites when it came time to wrap up the year, but there was no doubt in my mind which book was my favorite because one of them completely baffled me, ripped my heart out, made me laugh, made me cry, etc., etc., etc.: Stephen Graham Jones I was a teenage slasher.
Now, I was a teenage slasher doesn't seem like the kind of feel-good story that will make you cry about love and the power of friendship if you, you know, judge a book by its cover. The slasher genre isn't known for emotional depth, so if you went into this thinking you were in for a classic revenge killing spree with some teen antics thrown in, I wouldn't blame you. And you won't be mistaken – this book really does have such things. But the supernatural element of the slasher film, while a major part of the plot, seems secondary to the rollercoaster coming-of-age story that is really at its core.
Tolly Driver doesn't want to be a slasher, but he is. It's in his blood, thanks to a series of strange incidents that worked out exactly the way they should and sealed his fate. Amber, his best friend and a true adventurer, has extensive knowledge on the subject and essentially becomes his guide on this amazing journey. I was a teenage slasher deals with a lot of difficult themes, such as the grief of losing a young parent, which immediately came to my mind, the pressure of trying to do the right thing by the people you love, and the terrifying reality of growing up and coming into your own. But it's also very often funny, which helped make up for all the gore and tragedy.
For the second year in a row, Stephen Graham Jones's book is number one on my list, which isn't surprising since I'm a huge fan, but I was a teenage slasher this is truly another level. It's not just one of my favorite books of the year, it's probably one of my favorite books of all time. I wanted to start again as soon as I finished reading it, but I couldn't because I cried too much. — Cheyenne McDonald, Weekend Editor