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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really fun and fast paced adventure, with a fascinating collection of characters. I really enjoyed all of this!
My only real issues were that the author very much has no horse experience, and in a sort-of-western that’s pretty important. Abd there’s also some blatant fat-phobia to a character that really wasn't necessary. Some of the other descriptions were a little clunky, and to start with I didn’t know what time period we were in, but otherwise; it’s a fun little horror with excellent characters
My only real issues were that the author very much has no horse experience, and in a sort-of-western that’s pretty important. Abd there’s also some blatant fat-phobia to a character that really wasn't necessary. Some of the other descriptions were a little clunky, and to start with I didn’t know what time period we were in, but otherwise; it’s a fun little horror with excellent characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Homophobia
Such a fine line between skillfully ratcheting up the tension and dragging it out too long. The pace of westerns is naturally slower in a time before modern communication or transportation, but there were still chapters in here that felt like filler. I liked seeing the husband squirm, but the comeuppance felt pedestrian, contrasting the supernatural elements in the story. Of the reveals, one I didn't see coming, one wasn't satisfying. ⚠️Ableism
slow-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Man it’s almost as if this was written for me. Both the writing style and themes reminded me Crime & Punishment, and the darkness of the world had a Joe Abercrombie tinge.
The characters were so colorful. Dwight was such an incompetent villain if it were not for the supernatural interventions saving his ass. Moxie the classic archetype of good guy deep down outlaw. Ended up being one of the best guys out here, alongside the Sheriff that was just one step behind. SMOKE bruh. That dude was a CHARACTER. This is really where I felt the grimdark world build. Carol wasn’t a huge character ironically, but her part of the story was spooky. Def recommend if you have a buried alive fear. 😂
The pacing, I thought, was great. A constant build to the resolution of the tension with meaningful checkpoints along the way to build the world.
I found Carol and her condition compelling. I lost a little interest in Moxie's plight on the trail. I'm not sure entirely why that is. But still worth a Weird West read.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
I started this because I loved his Birdbox, but this just didn't do it for me. It's not that it was poorly written. With the exception of a few phrases being used over and over, it wasn't. The problem was the story itself. It was just boring. I mean really, really boring.