Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson

5 reviews

tspice24's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I received an ELC of this book from the author via NetGalley as we are mutuals on bookstagram❤️

I am delighted to have finally read We Ate The Dark— it feels like forever ago and yesterday that the publication announcement was made! I always have said I’m not a horror person, but that was before I discovered queer horror. Now I think it’s one of my favourite genres.

I loved the setting of the story, and I could feel the muggy North Carolina summer even though it’s the dead of winter in Canada right now. I felt like I could smell the damp earth, hear the cicadas buzzing, it was so immersive. The prose was dynamic and deeply descriptive, positively overflowing with metaphor and emotion. The characters felt real and complicated and super messy. 

I feel like if you like the Raven Cycle, but wish it was sapphic, this is the perfect book for you. I think I’m still processing that ending (cause like wtf) and maybe need to read it again because I’m not sure I really got / understood what happened in the last few climactic scenes. 

My #1 complaint about the book is that I don’t think I really connected with the audiobook narrator. I’m not sure if it was an accent thing but the word “skull” was always pronounced like “scoll” and it took me out of the story every time!!! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

semeyers's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tayler_morg's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book was so beautifully written. The horror aspects of it weren't especially terrifying, but the language that Pearson used throughout the whole book gave it such a haunting atmosphere, and made the scary parts that much scarier. 
I truly loved the depiction of the women's relationships with each other. They were more than friends or sisters without being lovers, and they felt so real and raw through both generations. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

savvylit's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

We Ate the Dark is an impressive debut from a new author to watch! The characters in this novel are written incredibly well. Each protagonist is palpable, nuanced, and impossible not to love. We Ate the Dark is a delightful blend of horror, fantasy, and mystery with so much heart. But this book is also much, much more. It's a celebration of witchiness. It's an ode to enduring friendships. It's an exploration of queer identity and romance in a rural setting. And most of all, We Ate The Dark is about the love between members of a chosen family.

To read We Ate the Dark is to gradually fall in love with Frankie, Poppy, Cass, Marya, and Finder. Pearson has created a world that I genuinely couldn't look away from. I can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

Thank you so much @lesbrarycard and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...