I Was a Teenage Slasher

Slasher boy meets final girl and it all ends in tragedy? Nah, it's way more than that. Love the thought process evident: the only way to honestly convince the reader that a final girl could have a strong connection with the slasher that wasn't solely of the kill or be killed variety is to have that relationship predate the slasher impulse. Means it's achingly sad to witness the final girl realize that just because her friend was innocent doesn't mean he shouldn't be stopped now, means the slasher keeps striving for his humanity even as the evidence against it mounts. Tolly's narrative is one of melancholy and nostalgia, rather than bloodlust or terror, that mood is as much created by looking back on 1989 and lost youth, lost father, as the sense that he couldn't go back, can't change anything that happened, and that's underlined by glimpses of every day Tolly, of occasionally sweet, realizing he could be more thoughtful Tol, especially in relation to Amber and his mom. Overjoyed to continue the marvelous tradition of Stephen Graham Jones' way of writing final girls (the very slow understanding dawning reluctantly on the girl in question), too. Don't think I didn't see that ‘final girls don't have to be girls' you slipped in, Mr. Jones. I would be happy to see a boy or non-binary final person in future. ☺️Now to really geek out on the details: The slasher onomatopoeia at each knife draw gave me such a strong memory of Walken's headless horseman sound cues in Sleepy Hollow - perfect vibes.The idea of slasher rules translated into real life conferring a paranomal super power, a blood contamination like the Hulk, resulting in actually getting in places that were locked, having better aim, proficiency with weapons, speed when not looked at, especially with self enforced limp, killer camouflage by absorbing injuries, near impervious to death, knowledge of intended victims' locations, especially in flagrante delicto, ability to make engines go dead, awareness of cops; that slasher magic then influencing the people around him into predestined roles, like careless teens and oblivious authority figures, I LOVED IT. It's not quite a twist on the classic forms but more a fuller commitment to them, that still feels fresh. Sidebar: Something about Osh Kosh the llama still having the ability to weird out the burgeoning slasher kid was equal parts hilarious and endearing, plus just the basic absurdity of a llama featuring in the mismatch of these situations.
P.S If you've never read the acknowledgements in a Stephen Graham Jones book, DO! They're heartfelt and enthusiastic without being saccharine, and if you need a moment to transition out of the horror novel space, they're a lovely denouement. 
⚠️animal death, gore, homophobia, racism, implied child abuse, animal abuse, suicide