Reviews

They Mostly Come Out at Night by Benedict Patrick

shalini_gunnasan's review

I hardly have time to review these days, so a lot of my lately-read books are kind of hit-and-run (review, tag, run away). Since the author was good enough to add me as a friend, I shall certainly say a few words, since I absolutely enjoyed it.

It's been a breath of fresh air to read a fairy tale-like story without it being a point-on-point retelling of existing fairy tales. Many of the "historical" chapters seem to be familiar folk tales, and yet not quite. Like a name just on the tip of your tongue. Being a fan of horror, the dark parts in the story kept me interested. The overall tragedy is what takes it away from being a fairy tale, since

Spoiler

there isn't a happy ending for the hero

.

There is some touches on colonization and cultural exchange, but it's a plot point for Lonan and not an exploration of the theme. You can find it if you dig deeper - the loss of entire tribes mirrors the real-world equivalent of cultures fading, assimilating, moving away, becoming something else.

For a debut novel, I find for me personally the writer has done fine work, and I am looking forward to more.

joelteon's review

3.0

Where has all the magic gone? They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick fails to live up to the insane level of quality produced in his other books. I read the prequel novella yesterday and fell in love with Yarnsworld, yet the moody, dark fairytale world was spoiled by annoying characters.

Artemis, Lonan and Adahy, the three key figures besides the Magpie King, were insufferable. I hated their voices and we despised dealing with their attitudes and way of life. I wanted a character to root for and get behind and sadly all three points of view drove me mad.

Where this book truly shone - besides on that amazing cover - was when the plot did the leading and we focussed less on the characterisation. At the ¾ mark when everything fell into place I loved the rush towards the end.

This is a weird little story, told with dream sequences inside each chapter and interludes after every chapter that actually drive the plot forward. It was cool to figure out the timeline of both dreams and interludes, but the characters, damn the characters were so tiring. They made these 200 pages feel like so much more.

I will continue on with Yarnsworld because each book is a standalone and I shouldn't have to hear or see these character's voices again. But maybe a bit of a break between entries is due.

hoarderreader's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

diabeticfox's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

laura_devouring_books_crumpets's review

4.0

I Don't quiet know what to make of it.... It was brilliant and clever.

Its about a dwelling of different kingdoms, and basically the danger a particular kingdom is in under the watchful eyes of the mythical Magpie King.

Logan one of the villagers that resides in the small Hamlet nestled in the forest and has had everything stripped away from him, due to immensely unfair circumstances.... Logan one night starts experiencing dreams leading him on a path that will unravel everything he believes to be true.

The Author weaves a very simple tale but with exceedingly intricate characters, I loved how we got folklore tales weaved in with the current story to give us a background on the Forest Dwellers and the Magpie king himself.

It is also beautifully and very cleverly written... I can truly see what all the hype is about.

My reason for not giving 5 stars is the ending, i wont give anything away, but it left me feeling empty and sad, but a book to gouge that much emotion from a person is truly brilliant.

I love a HEA and this story is bittersweet. But it is only 4 stars not 5 due to my personal preference.

saoyoa's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-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

5.0

gloamglozergay's review

1.5

I don’t like to needlessly dump on debut indie authors but I did not think this was good so I’m about to say too much about it. most minor complaint first: stylistically, maybe the author was going for a classic fairytale vibe, which I respect but it makes for a lot of telling rather than showing, which requires kind of a light touch. if the style is at all overwritten, it gets really hard to slog through. anyway here’s a line from an action sequence:

“The sight of Branden’s bare breast and tear-streaked face stopped Jarleth from listening to any further conversation from the other two, not allowing his rage to be satisfied until he planted a right hook firmly on Logan’s jaw, sending him straight to the river’s edge, face and hands splashing into the water.”

most of the book is like that. structurally: there are 2 storylines here (sort of 3 but only 2 matter), one of which the main character, Lonan, experiences through dreams. Prince Adahy’s story is kinda fun but only constitutes about a quarter of the book. the way the two storylines merge at the end is fun, but it’s a lot of work to get there, and the reveal raises more questions about the plot up to this point (eg:

worldbuilding establishes that the Wolves can’t come out during the daytime, but the Magpies don’t seem to have that limit, so why have they been following the same rules for apparently decades? why did a certain point in Lonan’s dreams correspond with a drop in Magpie activity if none of that was actually concurrent? Maedoc orders Lonan killed, but then wants him alive, I guess, I’m unclear what exactly the intent was there, why does Maedoc have to fear a random guy accusing him of being a fraudulent Magpie King when the Magpie King may or may not be folk myth to most people?

) the two storylines are regularly interrupted by in-universe folk tales, which I mostly skimmed. the male trickster god Artemis (???) was given a lot of attention for a guy who only mattered in a very abstract backstory sense. (his last item says he “faded from legend” but he didn’t? they still tell stories about him? diegetically in the book?) I also cannot tell whether the Eyrie/Magpies/etc are creatures of myth and fairytale, or a concrete political entity to which people actively pay taxes?

I liked the idea of Knacks, people developing minor talent magicks if they work at a particular thing, but they didn’t really figure into the story very much, and also most women’s Knacks are things like Laundry and Cooking, which is maybe meant to be commentary on how women are stuck in restrictive roles that only allow them to excel at certain things, or could just be misogynistic, I don’t know because it doesn’t matter. I generally don’t care about Lonan’s problems, he gets beaten to within an inch of his life like 3 times and none of the times matter, the author just kind of moves past the fact that he’s been meaningfully incapacitated (he gets a severe TBI and loses fingers; neither thing matters).

my biggest complaint is the women, which are so bad that it makes me feel way more willing to drag this book. Lonan’s love interest is flat cardboard who is in an abusive marriage because she needs a motivation to get out of her abusive marriage in order to be with Lonan instead, which she should have done in the first place. there’s some lip service to the idea that she used to be spunky and adventurous when they were childhood friends, but that never matters, because additional characterization would get in the way of how she’s supposed to be with Lonan. the healer lady is a pretty utilitarian character in a caretaker role. Lonan’s little sister and mother don’t matter, despite being introduced early on like they’re going to matter. the Magpie King’s bride has been wallowing for decades in her likewise terrible marriage, apparently powerless, and kills herself basically the instant she appears. she and Adahy met for five minutes many years ago but feel completely baseless affection for one another, I guess? it’s unclear and it doesn’t matter. annoying reading experience. also I can’t believe that this book is about a crazed birdmonster man and the women who kiss the birdmonster men only ever do so due to coercion or deceit. wild. let me have the birdmonster men I will kiss them. I hope the author does better in the future overall but will not be reading further

pattyspages's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

🗣💬:    “Because I am overcome with you. You are in every thought that invades my mind. Even if you forced me to chase you until the ends of my days, growing to hate me as I hate death itself, I would still continue to pursue you.”

👩🏾‍🏫 𝔾𝔼ℕℝ𝔼: 
Dark Historical Fantasy / Horror / Supernatural

📄 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋: 
216

🎡 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕊: 
Abandonment / Betrayal / Deception / Found Family / Fairy Tales / Family Legacy

✍️ ℙ𝕃𝕆𝕋:  
In a world where everyone has magic at their fingertips, Lonan is the only one without a magical gift. Outcast from his village, hated by his own family, Lonan alone receives the prophetic dreams that warn of an impending invasion of wolf-like monsters that will wipe out his forest home.

💭 𝕍𝕀𝔹𝔼𝕊: 
ADVENTUROUS . DARK . TENSE . MYSTERIOUS

💟 𝔽𝔼𝔼𝕃𝕊:
I love it I love it I love iiiit!
The writing style, the plot, the pace, the subtle magical system, the character development, the characters that we are meant to hate, the world within the world... all absolutely brilliant. 
The narrative voice won't be for everyone because of it being horror/historical, but if that is your thing then I highly recommend this story.

It's so easy to get through and very hard to put down!

thejdizzler's review

2.0

The writing in this book was not good. The story was extremely tropey, and filled with Deus ex machina. And compared to Benedict Patrick's following two books, the mythos seemed unrelated to the story, and not very magical.

I also noticed some Early Installment Weirdness with regards to the mouse-folk that feature in the City of Swords. I'm hoping this, and the other problems will be corrected in 4th Yarnsworld book, which is supposed to take place in the forest as well.

arachnichemist's review

5.0

Ever since The Bear and the Nightingale blew me away, I have been on the lookout for more adult style fairy tell stories but haven't had much luck. This book had been on my to list for quite awhile and the mood finally struck me to dive in. That was a very good choice.

The tale follows an outcast in his village and goes through his frustrations and loneliness of his situation. I thought the author really brought his main character to life and did a great job with the emotions. The added mini folk tales at the end of each chapter were a great touch.

The tale is one of sadness and heartbreak for many different characters and boils down to what would you do for those you love? Ultimately there is a painful sacrifice and I did feel for the characters involved. There are elements of horror, but this is no Alien in terms of booga booga. The horror mostly comes from the atmosphere and is subtle and well done.

I immediately went out and bought the sequel to this and am 50 percent done with that and loving it. I cannot wait for more of the Yarnesworld books. If one is looking for adult fairy tales that are well written and full of emotion then check the Yarnesworld series out.