This was a fun read. I rated it 4/5 stars overall. The ending was a bit predictable since we already see what becomes of the main characters in the prologue but it was still worth following along to see what happens to the rest of the town. There was a good mix of likeable and flawed characters, and they were the highlight of the story for me, the mix of townspeople that kept the story feeling grounded even amongst the fantastical things going on in the plot.
I really liked the progression of Mark's character arc, through most of the book i felt he was a bit of a mary sue being an overpowered kid, but by the end of the book he had devolved more and more into a vulnerable child and felt very human and sympathetic and made his character more believable.
I've recommended this book to a couple of friends now but also warned them of the contents of the book; I think if someone had warned me I would have been less upset by chapter 3 subchapter 5, so that I would've been mentally braced for it.
Also I found it frustrating that the blurb flagrantly spoils the book, it completely takes away the mystery of getting to figure out what the monster threatening the town is. Whenever I recommended this to a friend I warned them not to google anything about it or even read the summary/blurb for the book or a major plot mystery would be spoiled. I gotta be real though I love vampires so I was rooting for Barlow and Straker this whole time HAHAHAHAHA.
Seeing this all happen from Ben's perspective makes me feel like I'm reading a noir mystery, and his voice reminds me of those male protagonists from old movies. He seems fine but I was personally really icked out by how he talks to Susan. The way he tells her "eat your ice cream" or "sit down" I know it's supposed to come off as assertive and manly, but it feels so rude like he's barking orders at a dog? Even if how he says it is supposed to come off as being friendly to her. It just rubs me the wrong way. The way he interacts with Susan reminds me of Harrison Ford from the original Blade Runner, so I got curious and found out Salem's Lot was published in 1975 which checks out; I can feel that it's definitely a product of its time.