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outravida's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kittehloaf's review against another edition
3.0
It really wasn't a bad book and I wanted to like it. It just felt like the story really dragged on for myself and it felt like a chore to finish it.
Don't get me wrong though! The imagery was really amazing and vivid! But it just wasn't the book for me.
Don't get me wrong though! The imagery was really amazing and vivid! But it just wasn't the book for me.
je_fancyb's review
These people will not shut the fuck up about how much they resent their autistic kid. It's so boring to read 200 pages of ”Oh poor me, I wish my kid was normal”
the_dubious_muse's review
3.0
I wouldn't really call this a "literary" thriller but it kept my interest.
lyrareadsbooks's review
3.0
More a 3.5 Good atmospheric horror and great audio-narration, but a bit wandering at times. Several threads remained untied.
nyx89's review
2.0
Really did not like the author's style. Dialogue was stilted. Author obviously abused a thesaurus at times. Characters were almost all unlikable, except, ironically, for Nick. Ending was interesting, but I figured it out about 2/3rds of the way through. There are way better horror novels out there. This one was just too slow for my tastes. Honestly, nothing much really happens throughout the whole novel. There's really no plot, and some major elements of the story just get dropped before the end with no resolution or closure. Also, who the eff names their kid Jack Peter? And his many other obnoxious nicknames...J.P...even Jip? Jip, really? Shouldn't be such a huge deal, but it irked me through the whole novel. I'm being rather generous by giving this 2 stars. It's really more like 1.5. Give this one a pass.
bmg20's review against another edition
3.0
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
“In the dream house, the boy listened for the monster under his bed.”
Jack Peter hasn’t been the same since he almost drowned when he was seven-years-old. Becoming terrified of the world outside, he’s become something of a recluse for the past three years and his parents, and even doctors, have been struggling to find a reason. When the terrifying things that Jack claims to see become visible to his parents, they begin to think they’re going insane rather than realizing that maybe what their son has been saying isn’t exactly a lie. Is there something supernatural astir or is everyone, in fact, going insane?
The slow, subtle build leaves the reader in a constant state of anxiety, unable to differentiate between reality and madness. While not exactly terrifying, despite the depictions of a pale white creature which roams the lands around their home and of the babies that defy gravity by crawling across the walls, this story still manages to leave a slight restlessness in its implications. A comparison to A Turn of the Screw is expected, what with the creepy children and of the general gothic-like atmosphere of panic and terror. Donohue applies an inspirational twist to this tale by granting power behind the monsters to a child. What would cause a child to want to create terrifying monsters in reality? Does he have the power to control their actions or only their existence? And does their existence serve a purpose?
One aspect that could have been dealt with better were the adults. Their continued ignorance of the wrongness of the occurrences is typical yet tiresome. Failing to believe in their young sons seemingly fictitious stories is one thing but it’s a problem when you’re seeing said stories with your own eyes and are still acting oblivious. I would have preferred this story told entirely from the point of view of the children, since their perspective of what was happening left you feeling like a child once again, terrified of the monster under the bed.
Not terrifying, yet still memorable. Donohue impressed me with his prose and capability of maintaining a mysterious edginess. I will definitely be seeking out his earlier works.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“In the dream house, the boy listened for the monster under his bed.”
Jack Peter hasn’t been the same since he almost drowned when he was seven-years-old. Becoming terrified of the world outside, he’s become something of a recluse for the past three years and his parents, and even doctors, have been struggling to find a reason. When the terrifying things that Jack claims to see become visible to his parents, they begin to think they’re going insane rather than realizing that maybe what their son has been saying isn’t exactly a lie. Is there something supernatural astir or is everyone, in fact, going insane?
The slow, subtle build leaves the reader in a constant state of anxiety, unable to differentiate between reality and madness. While not exactly terrifying, despite the depictions of a pale white creature which roams the lands around their home and of the babies that defy gravity by crawling across the walls, this story still manages to leave a slight restlessness in its implications. A comparison to A Turn of the Screw is expected, what with the creepy children and of the general gothic-like atmosphere of panic and terror. Donohue applies an inspirational twist to this tale by granting power behind the monsters to a child. What would cause a child to want to create terrifying monsters in reality? Does he have the power to control their actions or only their existence? And does their existence serve a purpose?
One aspect that could have been dealt with better were the adults. Their continued ignorance of the wrongness of the occurrences is typical yet tiresome. Failing to believe in their young sons seemingly fictitious stories is one thing but it’s a problem when you’re seeing said stories with your own eyes and are still acting oblivious. I would have preferred this story told entirely from the point of view of the children, since their perspective of what was happening left you feeling like a child once again, terrified of the monster under the bed.
Not terrifying, yet still memorable. Donohue impressed me with his prose and capability of maintaining a mysterious edginess. I will definitely be seeking out his earlier works.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
jen286's review
3.0
I wanted to love this story, but it ended up being just okay. I love the idea of this kid drawing monsters who come to life, how his family saw the monsters at various moments in the story, the monsters themselves, all of that, but...it didn't do a good job tieing it all together. The reactions of the characters at different points didn't really make sense (for example the mom comes home to the 2 kids all alone in the house as the dad has disappeared! Does she immediately call the cops or something to try and go search - I know it is dark, but he had been out on the beach...When the dad shows up with scratches on his neck that are bleeding a lot after being out in the super cold for hours is the first thought we need to get you to the doctor? No. No, it is fine. Let's all just be calm and talk about what happened and not really do anything. It was so strange! If that were me I would be going crazy with worry, would have at least tried to look for my husband, would have immediately taken him to the hospital even without the scratches on his neck. Hello hypothermia? He was outside in the freezing cold for hours! After he passed out! That deserves a check by the doctors!!). So it was...not the best, but still enough that I did enjoy to make it an okay read. That and the ending was really disappointing. Like oh, okay. I would have preferred the ghosties that the author hinted at the whole time, but then ended up being not really relevant at all. Oh well.
rafacolog's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Ableism, and Death