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whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
I was given a copy to review via Love Book Tours as part of their book tour. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #FamilyCurseFieldNotes #TenacityPlys #LoveBookTours #BookTourReview #BookTour #BookReview #LBTCrew
Family Curse is a brilliant ‘horror’ novella that gave off House of Leaves vibes from the off and I adored it. Found in notebooks and told via post-it notes and journals over several years with different family members and ancestors we have to try and piece together the story to solve the mystery…Unfortunately when the novella finishes we are still not sure if any of the narrators are telling the truth. The characters we meet are Virgil -in 2020, Virginia in 1993, Mortimer in 1965 Sila in 1880.
It certainly has spooky elements and that uncanny feeling as we learn more and more about the family curse and what each person has found or believes and while Virgil is not sure what they believe and puts not stock in the idea of faeries or aliens slowly they begin to find weird occurrences that they just cannot explain.
While adored this book I really did wish there was more. The writing style and format as I say is slightly reminiscent of House of Leaves and leaves us with a lot more questions as well as some questionable answers. I will definitely be reading more by Plys and hope we might revisit the Family Curse story at a later date.
Family Curse is a brilliant ‘horror’ novella that gave off House of Leaves vibes from the off and I adored it. Found in notebooks and told via post-it notes and journals over several years with different family members and ancestors we have to try and piece together the story to solve the mystery…Unfortunately when the novella finishes we are still not sure if any of the narrators are telling the truth. The characters we meet are Virgil -in 2020, Virginia in 1993, Mortimer in 1965 Sila in 1880.
It certainly has spooky elements and that uncanny feeling as we learn more and more about the family curse and what each person has found or believes and while Virgil is not sure what they believe and puts not stock in the idea of faeries or aliens slowly they begin to find weird occurrences that they just cannot explain.
While adored this book I really did wish there was more. The writing style and format as I say is slightly reminiscent of House of Leaves and leaves us with a lot more questions as well as some questionable answers. I will definitely be reading more by Plys and hope we might revisit the Family Curse story at a later date.
amicarlton's review
5.0
Whether or not you’re a fan of horror, you’ll enjoy a quick tumble through the woods in “Family Curse Field Notebooks (1880-2020). The story takes us through four generations of a family plagued by all manner of lore surrounding strange disappearances in the woods surrounding their family home.
It’s weird to say a horror book is cute, right? But there were definitely parts of this that I thought were cute. Like how every generation thought the last generation was silly for their beliefs, whether it be the Devil or aliens, each more modern generation thought themselves more logical. This was both condescending and weirdly adorable.
As a queer, neurodivergent person, the representation incredibly impressed me in this book. The main character–or at least the modern MC–was both queer and ND. Several other family members definitely would have been flagged for testing, and many didn’t marry – which in the old times was a good sign of queerness.
It was an incredibly quick read. I think it would qualify as a novella. I finished it in less than 24 hours twice. I read it once in an ebook, and then reread it in physical form. I’m old-school and almost always prefer physical books–unless they’re 900 pages and are going to aggravate my carpal tunnel–but this one also benefits heavily from physical form. As you trek through the various generations of “field notebooks” or diaries, future generations make notes–and it’s much easier to keep up with those in the physical copy. I always find this to be true of footnotes. But if you don’t have trouble with footnotes and ebooks, then go for it!
The horror portion of this book was a bit of a slow burn, and it was all implied and psychological. I’m not big on horror, but I still enjoy a good psychological scare. This fit the bill and definitely met with the creepy factor. I’m giving horror more of a try, and this book definitely helped in that endeavor.
If you enjoy gentle, psychological horror, and good LGBTQIA/neurodivergent representation, then you’re going to love this book. The author developed the characters as well as they can be in a short novella, which is impressive. Often in short books, the characterization suffers. I look forward to reading more by this author, even if they billed the work as horror.
The author and publisher gifted me a copy of this book as part of the Love Books Tour in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own and not impacted by this.
Originally posted (and changed slightly for Goodreads) at http://amorinacarlton.com/2023/03/13/family-curse-review/
It’s weird to say a horror book is cute, right? But there were definitely parts of this that I thought were cute. Like how every generation thought the last generation was silly for their beliefs, whether it be the Devil or aliens, each more modern generation thought themselves more logical. This was both condescending and weirdly adorable.
As a queer, neurodivergent person, the representation incredibly impressed me in this book. The main character–or at least the modern MC–was both queer and ND. Several other family members definitely would have been flagged for testing, and many didn’t marry – which in the old times was a good sign of queerness.
It was an incredibly quick read. I think it would qualify as a novella. I finished it in less than 24 hours twice. I read it once in an ebook, and then reread it in physical form. I’m old-school and almost always prefer physical books–unless they’re 900 pages and are going to aggravate my carpal tunnel–but this one also benefits heavily from physical form. As you trek through the various generations of “field notebooks” or diaries, future generations make notes–and it’s much easier to keep up with those in the physical copy. I always find this to be true of footnotes. But if you don’t have trouble with footnotes and ebooks, then go for it!
The horror portion of this book was a bit of a slow burn, and it was all implied and psychological. I’m not big on horror, but I still enjoy a good psychological scare. This fit the bill and definitely met with the creepy factor. I’m giving horror more of a try, and this book definitely helped in that endeavor.
If you enjoy gentle, psychological horror, and good LGBTQIA/neurodivergent representation, then you’re going to love this book. The author developed the characters as well as they can be in a short novella, which is impressive. Often in short books, the characterization suffers. I look forward to reading more by this author, even if they billed the work as horror.
The author and publisher gifted me a copy of this book as part of the Love Books Tour in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own and not impacted by this.
Originally posted (and changed slightly for Goodreads) at http://amorinacarlton.com/2023/03/13/family-curse-review/
alittlemixofvix's review
1.0
I just didn't get on with this one - it felt a bit all over the place and too short to get anywhere. I don't think having the e-book helped as the notes didn't flow well with the main text. The ending is left mainly to your imagination, so personal preference whether that works for you.
100pagesaday's review
5.0
"...myths are created by people, for their own reasons; a monster is a shadow cast by a human."
Virgil is sent to clean out their Aunt Deb's house. Aunt Deb died of COVID, unlike many of Virgil's other family members who have just seemed to have disappeared. As Virgil begins to clean out Aunt Deb's attic, they begin to unravel the mystery surrounding the woods of the house. There's something strange about the woods by the house and it might be coming for Virgil next.
Family Curse-Field Notebooks (1880-2020) is a delicious bite of a horror story. I absolutely wish that this was longer, and enjoyed that the story does lead you to think of the many possible routes for the lights in the woods. I adore writing in the form of journal entries and Family Curse does not disappoint with a turducken of journals from three family members and notes from Virgil. It was interesting to see each family member's take on the disappearances and the lights in the woods- a serial killer, fairies, or aliens. I was also intrigued by Virgil's family and how different neurodivergencies and gender non-conformities have presented and been tolerated throughout the years and how those people have seemed to attract whatever is in the woods.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Virgil is sent to clean out their Aunt Deb's house. Aunt Deb died of COVID, unlike many of Virgil's other family members who have just seemed to have disappeared. As Virgil begins to clean out Aunt Deb's attic, they begin to unravel the mystery surrounding the woods of the house. There's something strange about the woods by the house and it might be coming for Virgil next.
Family Curse-Field Notebooks (1880-2020) is a delicious bite of a horror story. I absolutely wish that this was longer, and enjoyed that the story does lead you to think of the many possible routes for the lights in the woods. I adore writing in the form of journal entries and Family Curse does not disappoint with a turducken of journals from three family members and notes from Virgil. It was interesting to see each family member's take on the disappearances and the lights in the woods- a serial killer, fairies, or aliens. I was also intrigued by Virgil's family and how different neurodivergencies and gender non-conformities have presented and been tolerated throughout the years and how those people have seemed to attract whatever is in the woods.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
ryttu3k's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
biblioberg's review
4.0
Family Curse: Field Notebooks (1880-2020) by Tenacity Plys
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @lovebookstours for my gifted copy.
My thoughts: whoa! This little book has quite a punch of darkness, disappearances and theories! I was blown away by the author’s way with words and having 3 different perspectives of the same family and that curse is real or is it? Lots of ideas on why people keep disappearing but you must read this book to find out! Go pick it up today!
Blurb
They say in town that every generation, fairies lure a member of Virgil's family into the local woods, never to be seen again. Virgil doesn't really care about that; they're just squatting at their aunt's vacant house during quarantine. But one night, they're awoken by a knocking at the back door that leads them into a tangle of family secrets, and a mystery that's as heartbreaking as it is chilling.
To understand their family history and avoid disappearing themself, Virgil has to piece together journal entries from three generations of their relatives, who all spent their lives wondering why their siblings were taken. Has a serial killer been operating in the area for over a century? Could it be the aliens Virgil's great-uncle saw on an acid trip? And who is the figure watching them all from the forests' edge?
#booktour #ad #lovebookstours #lbtcrew #gifted #unreadshelf #bookworm #bookclubs #bibliophile
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @lovebookstours for my gifted copy.
My thoughts: whoa! This little book has quite a punch of darkness, disappearances and theories! I was blown away by the author’s way with words and having 3 different perspectives of the same family and that curse is real or is it? Lots of ideas on why people keep disappearing but you must read this book to find out! Go pick it up today!
Blurb
They say in town that every generation, fairies lure a member of Virgil's family into the local woods, never to be seen again. Virgil doesn't really care about that; they're just squatting at their aunt's vacant house during quarantine. But one night, they're awoken by a knocking at the back door that leads them into a tangle of family secrets, and a mystery that's as heartbreaking as it is chilling.
To understand their family history and avoid disappearing themself, Virgil has to piece together journal entries from three generations of their relatives, who all spent their lives wondering why their siblings were taken. Has a serial killer been operating in the area for over a century? Could it be the aliens Virgil's great-uncle saw on an acid trip? And who is the figure watching them all from the forests' edge?
#booktour #ad #lovebookstours #lbtcrew #gifted #unreadshelf #bookworm #bookclubs #bibliophile
smilesgiggle's review
5.0
Tenacity does not waste words - I loved every one used.
This is a story, within a story, within a story, etc.
Virgil - 2020; Virginia -1993; Mortimer - 1965; Sila - 1880.
I love the reference to witchcraft by Silas. Just cements the creep, horror, mythology. Fairies sure - but witchcraft? I'm down.
The Sykes have lived in the family home for over 100 years. Every generation or so, a child goes into the woods, not to return. Virgil is cleaning out the house after his aunt's death, stumbling upon the past accounts of his family.
That ending - wowza. Just a great novella.
This is a story, within a story, within a story, etc.
Virgil - 2020; Virginia -1993; Mortimer - 1965; Sila - 1880.
I love the reference to witchcraft by Silas. Just cements the creep, horror, mythology. Fairies sure - but witchcraft? I'm down.
The Sykes have lived in the family home for over 100 years. Every generation or so, a child goes into the woods, not to return. Virgil is cleaning out the house after his aunt's death, stumbling upon the past accounts of his family.
That ending - wowza. Just a great novella.
catreader18's review
4.0
A quick read, this novella is the story of a family who has had a lot of children disappear. The journal that the story is written in is described as being inside another journal. The author follows this with the dates of the journal entered. They start recent, go back in time, then become more recent again. It is a very interesting novella. It makes you think what could be in the woods?
lost_fairy222's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
it’s quick, it’s queer, it’s spooky,
the ending was pretty abrupt and left me with more questions than answers though
the ending was pretty abrupt and left me with more questions than answers though
afriendwithfiction's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25