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smolbean_reads's review against another edition
2.0
3 stars.
Well this book was a bit of an oddball. I don't usually read this kind of fiction but this was lent out to me as a recommended read so I gave it my full attention.
I've got to say it was strangely readable despite the intentionally sparse dialogue and simple narrative style. The author had a clever way of putting little odd things in here and there that made me want to keep reading till the end- to find out if there were answers (and there were. At the very, very end. To a few questions anyway).
The strange townsfolk were all very intriguing yet half the time I was thinking 'you cheeky bugger!'. I feel like there was an odd theme of manipulation and advantage taking. And at the same time I wanted the lovely narrator of the story to stop letting people walk all over him! Yet I couldn't be annoyed at him because he was just too lovely.
Despite my low rating, it wasn't necessarily a 'meh' read as it managed to give a sense of unease and lingering darkness that kept my attention. Less of a 'meh' and more of a 'hm'. Good, quick, curious read.
Well this book was a bit of an oddball. I don't usually read this kind of fiction but this was lent out to me as a recommended read so I gave it my full attention.
I've got to say it was strangely readable despite the intentionally sparse dialogue and simple narrative style. The author had a clever way of putting little odd things in here and there that made me want to keep reading till the end- to find out if there were answers (and there were. At the very, very end. To a few questions anyway).
The strange townsfolk were all very intriguing yet half the time I was thinking 'you cheeky bugger!'. I feel like there was an odd theme of manipulation and advantage taking. And at the same time I wanted the lovely narrator of the story to stop letting people walk all over him! Yet I couldn't be annoyed at him because he was just too lovely.
Despite my low rating, it wasn't necessarily a 'meh' read as it managed to give a sense of unease and lingering darkness that kept my attention. Less of a 'meh' and more of a 'hm'. Good, quick, curious read.
bumsonseats's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing really happens but you just have to read on. Strangely funny characters, lovely landscape, some interesting twists and turns.
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
5.0
Beim zweiten Lesen noch so gut wie beim ersten. Vielleicht das beste Buch, um mit Magnus Mills anzufangen, es geht nicht so düster zu wie in "The Restraint of Beasts". Ich wüsste wirklich gern, wie das gemacht ist. Ich habe jetzt, glaube ich, alles von ihm gelesen und verstehe es immer noch nicht, würde das aber gern können. (Aus diesem Grund auch Upgrade auf 5 Sterne.)
sarahrifen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
2.75
Story about a town that feels off. The author did a great job about making a setting that felt uneasy, but I found myself wanting more. A book where nothing really happens, but something feels amiss. Great writing, but I cannot say I enjoyed the process of reading.
solostand's review against another edition
3.0
It's like a 300-page joke with 100-page setup and 200-page punchline. You already got it, but the author goes on and on with it, without any surprises at all. It is well-written, so it will keep you entertained, there are some excellent tiny details, but the book, in general, is really obvious and predictable. It is not bad, but I can't recommend it to anyone.
ahsansenan's review against another edition
5.0
Just how many authors out there can finish a chapter in a cliff-hanger with the sentence: Have you ever done any riveting?
jinjer's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, please explain to me how a book where "nothing happens" and there is NO character development and only the most basic dialogue can keep me turning the pages? I literally started reading it this morning and could not stop. I knew the shit was going to hit the fan eventually, but when? How?
And when it did, I may have gasped out loud. Ha ha. Brilliant, Mr. Mills. Brilliant
And when it did, I may have gasped out loud. Ha ha. Brilliant, Mr. Mills. Brilliant
jbean101's review against another edition
4.0
A bewildering read, where seemingly nothing much happens, but for the compulsion to see what happens next. Wry, slightly unsettling, but not too much, subtly intriguing, superficially ordinary, full of quirks and oddities, but masked in the mundane. I found myself waiting to see what happens, then finally realising it had been happening all along.