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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
Not a bad read and definitely one that I can see getting much attention, but do be prepared for a slow burn. The suspense didn’t catch me as much as I was hoping it would, regardless it’s enjoyable as is, but just not one of my top favorites.
A bit uneven for me. I found life on the trail a lot more interesting than getting to Sleeping Beauty. Smoke is a great character.
Spoilers throughout.
I got the advanced reader's edition from the library. So I knew there'd be errors throughout but yikes. This was a mess. Continuity issues, unanswered questions, and the word 'and' constantly starting sentences. It's fun to break literary and grammar rules. But when the word 'and' starts five different sentences on one page, it's tedious to trudge through. I sigh when I see it. Whatever comes after, whatever magic or poetry, is lost because And.
There wasn't any excitement. Not because every other sentence started with 'and' but because the chase wasn't much of a chase. I was afraid that a book about a woman stuck in a coma wouldn't go anywhere, but instead we got to see a husband waffle about the murder of his wife, a mysterious Trail-watcher do nothing but give dire warnings, a man ride his horse who thought about the Trick but didn't want to talk about it, and a crazy triggerman who killed everyone but the man he was hired to kill. Plus there was this supernatural element that vanished and appeared when the plot deemed it necessary.
Carol is rich because of her mother. Her mother is rich because...??? Dwight is tired of living in his wife's rich shadow because...??? He thinks killing her and getting her money is right and just because...??? I assumed because she was an inventor and Dwight is a cowardly, sad man. But I shouldn't have had to assume these things.
The chapters felt out of order. I think it's because the day/night restarted with each new chapter? But we'd get a stretch of chapters that'd be continuous and then suddenly we'd be back twelve hours. It was hard to keep up.
I got the advanced reader's edition from the library. So I knew there'd be errors throughout but yikes. This was a mess. Continuity issues, unanswered questions, and the word 'and' constantly starting sentences. It's fun to break literary and grammar rules. But when the word 'and' starts five different sentences on one page, it's tedious to trudge through. I sigh when I see it. Whatever comes after, whatever magic or poetry, is lost because And.
There wasn't any excitement. Not because every other sentence started with 'and' but because the chase wasn't much of a chase. I was afraid that a book about a woman stuck in a coma wouldn't go anywhere, but instead we got to see a husband waffle about the murder of his wife, a mysterious Trail-watcher do nothing but give dire warnings, a man ride his horse who thought about the Trick but didn't want to talk about it, and a crazy triggerman who killed everyone but the man he was hired to kill. Plus there was this supernatural element that vanished and appeared when the plot deemed it necessary.
Carol is rich because of her mother. Her mother is rich because...??? Dwight is tired of living in his wife's rich shadow because...??? He thinks killing her and getting her money is right and just because...??? I assumed because she was an inventor and Dwight is a cowardly, sad man. But I shouldn't have had to assume these things.
The chapters felt out of order. I think it's because the day/night restarted with each new chapter? But we'd get a stretch of chapters that'd be continuous and then suddenly we'd be back twelve hours. It was hard to keep up.
(This was an ARC.) Needs some editing, but good read overall.
Josh Malerman has done it again. It is a very unconventional novel, but amazing. He is a truly gifted storyteller.
There were rare moments of stunning sentences, just surprising beauty among otherwise pretty dry writing, but just not a fan on the whole. To be fair, I REALLY do not like Westerns, so this book was a bit doomed from the start for me.
Damn, this guy can write! The horror is so well done, the imagery just blossoms in your mind. Great characters, atmospheric setting. Loved it.