You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
Out of all of the genres I'm likely to pick up on a given day, westerns are probably at the bottom of my list. But the fantasy aspect of this story intrigued me. I put off picking this book up for a long while, mainly due to the fact that it was written by the same author who wrote Booktube darling [b:Bird Box|18498558|Bird Box (Bird Box, #1)|Josh Malerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383949470l/18498558._SY75_.jpg|26186624], which I wasn't impressed with. But the premise of the story drew me in and I decided to pick it up, despite the relatively low rating.
I don't know how other readers consumed this book but I listened to it on audio and hearing the narrator read it with a western twang accent really boosted the book if I had otherwise read it. The premise of the book interested me the most. I barely got to know Carol before she ended up visiting Howltown, her nickname for her coma state. Even though the book was supposed to be about her, it was more about her marriage to villainous Dwight, her former lover and outlaw, Moxie, and Smoke, the man Dwight hired to prevent Moxie from getting to Carol to save her before she was buried.
It would take moving mountains to watch a western but something about this adventure story with the forces of good versus evil duking it out had me engrossed. I would highly recommend this book, especially listening to the audio version.
I don't know how other readers consumed this book but I listened to it on audio and hearing the narrator read it with a western twang accent really boosted the book if I had otherwise read it. The premise of the book interested me the most. I barely got to know Carol before she ended up visiting Howltown, her nickname for her coma state. Even though the book was supposed to be about her, it was more about her marriage to villainous Dwight, her former lover and outlaw, Moxie, and Smoke, the man Dwight hired to prevent Moxie from getting to Carol to save her before she was buried.
It would take moving mountains to watch a western but something about this adventure story with the forces of good versus evil duking it out had me engrossed. I would highly recommend this book, especially listening to the audio version.
I was a big fan of Bird Box, but unfortunately, I could not get into this novel. It's a Western meets a supernatural novel. Carol has an affliction where she slips into a coma that resembles death. One day when the illness strikes, her husband decides he will pretend she's dead and move on from her. Will he bury her? Yes, yet somehow he isn't willing to actually kill her. Her maid somehow manages to get word to her former lover, an outlaw, and the man sets off to avenge her. Men get to decide her fate while she spends entire chapters just trying to move in her coma. With a cleverer hand, it could be a commentary on gender norms in history and relationships. Instead it just comes across as repetitive and, frankly, boring.
A western with some creepy horror elements? I liked parts of this book but there were a lot of story lines, which at times detracted from the overall story.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lyrical, spooky, but a little too repetitive. Good story.
This was a little bland. It was like humoring your spouse by watching a tv show he wants to watch. I give it 3 stars bc I like the ending well enough.
I have mulled this over a bit more and I actually really enjoy the story. The piece of the story that I thought didn’t really add all that much was Rot. It was only okay. I thought it was given just too much story time. By the end I just really wanted Rot to go away.
I have mulled this over a bit more and I actually really enjoy the story. The piece of the story that I thought didn’t really add all that much was Rot. It was only okay. I thought it was given just too much story time. By the end I just really wanted Rot to go away.
What a strange book! The concept is pretty cool. Carol is a wealthy, well-loved woman, esteemed by the townsfolk of Harrows, but her husband fakes affection while yearning for her money. Dwight knows her deepest secret -- that every once in a while, with no predictable pattern or symptoms, Carol falls into a coma indistinguishable from death. When Carol's closest friend dies, she realizes she should take someone else into her confidence, in case she should have an episode while Dwight is away or too ill to intercede, but before she can share her secret, she goes under again, and Dwight launches his dastardly plan.
But all is not lost. Carol's faithful maid alerts the man Carol once loved, the outlaw James Moxie. Moxie sets out on the dreaded, dangerous Trail to rescue Carol before she can be buried alive. But Moxie doesn't ride alone -- he's pursued by a deranged, deadly assassin known as Smoke, who seems unstoppable and completely devoid of humanity. It's a race against time, as James tries to reach Carol, Dwight tries to get Carol buried before she wakes, and Smoke keeps on coming and coming and coming.
There are some horrific moments, especially the scenes with Smoke. I won't tell you why he has the name that he has, but trust me, it's well-deserved and awful. As James rides to Carol's rescue, we learn more about their sad history together, and meanwhile, we accompany Carol as she lies helpless in what she refers to as Howltown, the coma world she inhabits in which she's aware of what's going on around her, but unable to speak, move, or save herself from the terrible fate Dwight has planned for her.
The writing gives a classic Western twang to everything -- gritty and profane and swaggering, with hints of violence and danger all at the same time. I liked the swear-words and cusses and exclamations the characters all use, such as "hell's heaven" and "heaven's hell", and once (my favorite), "Lord of all hogs and pink piglets..."!
I'm not usually much of a fan of the Western genre, but this odd book ended up appealing to me in an unusual sort of way. I liked the grimness and the feel of listening to an old-timey story about legendary figures of a by-gone time. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I understand that Unbury Carol is quite a different feel from his other books (and yes, I know I need to read Bird Box!).
Overall, I found Unbury Carol really weird and off-beat, but in a good, creepy way.
Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
But all is not lost. Carol's faithful maid alerts the man Carol once loved, the outlaw James Moxie. Moxie sets out on the dreaded, dangerous Trail to rescue Carol before she can be buried alive. But Moxie doesn't ride alone -- he's pursued by a deranged, deadly assassin known as Smoke, who seems unstoppable and completely devoid of humanity. It's a race against time, as James tries to reach Carol, Dwight tries to get Carol buried before she wakes, and Smoke keeps on coming and coming and coming.
There are some horrific moments, especially the scenes with Smoke. I won't tell you why he has the name that he has, but trust me, it's well-deserved and awful. As James rides to Carol's rescue, we learn more about their sad history together, and meanwhile, we accompany Carol as she lies helpless in what she refers to as Howltown, the coma world she inhabits in which she's aware of what's going on around her, but unable to speak, move, or save herself from the terrible fate Dwight has planned for her.
The writing gives a classic Western twang to everything -- gritty and profane and swaggering, with hints of violence and danger all at the same time. I liked the swear-words and cusses and exclamations the characters all use, such as "hell's heaven" and "heaven's hell", and once (my favorite), "Lord of all hogs and pink piglets..."!
I'm not usually much of a fan of the Western genre, but this odd book ended up appealing to me in an unusual sort of way. I liked the grimness and the feel of listening to an old-timey story about legendary figures of a by-gone time. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I understand that Unbury Carol is quite a different feel from his other books (and yes, I know I need to read Bird Box!).
Overall, I found Unbury Carol really weird and off-beat, but in a good, creepy way.
Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
slow-paced