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njdarkish's review against another edition
3.0
I came into this book less than a fan of Tremblay's work-- I felt like his hit success Head Full of Ghosts was mediocre at best and definitely didn't deserve the Stoker it won. But, since even some of my favorite writers have written some duds, I decided to pick this up.
And it was okay. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than HFoG, though it wasn't quite as strong as it could have been. I liked how it played with expectations about the supernatural and that even though most parts of the story were tied up pretty nicely that there was enough left to leave you asking some (less critical) questions.
What this story suffered from, more than anything else, was fairly flat characters. I often lost track of who was who in dialogue-heavy sections, which is problematic. The characters didn't feel like they were people outside of their pop culture references and concern about the main story. I get that the disappearance of a child is definitely going to dominate your life and thoughts, but it would be difficult to pin down clear characteristics that weren't related to that other than surface-level stuff like "not that tech savvy," and "likes Minecraft."
I think Tremblay is moving in a positive direction in his writing, though, and before too long maywarrant more stars and maybe even more awards.
And it was okay. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than HFoG, though it wasn't quite as strong as it could have been. I liked how it played with expectations about the supernatural and that even though most parts of the story were tied up pretty nicely that there was enough left to leave you asking some (less critical) questions.
What this story suffered from, more than anything else, was fairly flat characters. I often lost track of who was who in dialogue-heavy sections, which is problematic. The characters didn't feel like they were people outside of their pop culture references and concern about the main story. I get that the disappearance of a child is definitely going to dominate your life and thoughts, but it would be difficult to pin down clear characteristics that weren't related to that other than surface-level stuff like "not that tech savvy," and "likes Minecraft."
I think Tremblay is moving in a positive direction in his writing, though, and before too long maywarrant more stars and maybe even more awards.
destinyv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pataustin11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
dj68's review
3.0
Well, this was a long read. I mean, no, it isn't, it just took me long enough.
The story itself is intriguing, it is well-written, but it should have been maybe 100 pages shorter. The baginning and ending are powerful, but there are long stretches of padding and repetition in the middle, which is too bad, because the book loses momentum now and then.
But: it wasn't bad at all, and it also mangaes to surprise.
The story itself is intriguing, it is well-written, but it should have been maybe 100 pages shorter. The baginning and ending are powerful, but there are long stretches of padding and repetition in the middle, which is too bad, because the book loses momentum now and then.
But: it wasn't bad at all, and it also mangaes to surprise.
yoshyosh1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
esquared's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was just so bleak. I'd put this down and find it tough to get motivated to pick it back up. It's not a bad book at all - it's well written. Just wholly depressing.
beckygray98's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
thebriary's review against another edition
2.0
So it turns out that Head Full of Ghosts is an outlier for me. Nothing else by Tremblay has really captured me. That said, this was still better than Cabin at the End of the World.
thesheeb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
gabyelle_97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read a couple of Paul Tremblay’s books and they always leave me questioning something, this one however left me in tears. I loved it and hated it - if you’ve read it you understand what I mean. Fantastic book, but heartbreakingly honest.