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betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
3.0
Sitka’s Quay appears to be like every other coastal tourist town on Highway 101, but lurking below its southern grove of ancient spruce are three sleeping primordial gods. For an eon, their bloodthirsty dreams have radiated into the ground and restore anyone who walks within the Grove. The Keeper, Dayla Fischer, must remain in control of her magical abilities or fall into sickening madness, but lives a relatively quiet life with her husband, Oliver.
That is, until the delusional, but charming Jonah Leifson comes to town with a plan to awaken the Three. Soon, children begin disappearing. With powerful suggestion spells and mind reading abilities, Jonah wins over other sorcerers, meth users, the police, and eventually even her husband. Though no one believes her and she doubts her own sanity, she must stop Jonah, before he wakes the Three and brings about the end of the world.
Rating: 3.5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: marked as 'horror' but I wasn't really horrified at any point; interesting look into manipulation and emotional abuse; great world-building; the implementation of magic in this world was creative and well-done; I don't generally like witches/sorcerers in books...but this one was imaginative and, while not horrifying, at least somewhat creepy; just a little bit of a dragging plot
HUGE thank you to Elizabeth Guizzetti and ZB Publications for sending me a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
The car turned everyone's head, but he needed more than that. Setting the pressure gun aside, Jonah picked up a frosted glass bottle filled with a clear emulsion. A love potion made logical sense. People fell in love with inanimate objects all the time.
This was, overall, an interesting--if slightly dragging--read. I felt, at moments, that the writing was so inundated with descriptors and abstract language, it became a bit difficult to track the actual action. Several times I found myself simply skimming paragraphs I didn't feel were important to the plot, and having to go back to read them over again when I realized I'd missed an important detail in the blather. This, fortunately, didn't happen often, and while the plot dragged in a few crucial instances, I was intrigued and enthralled regardless.
I don't, however, know if I necessarily felt scared by this read. I'm not one for books about witches or sorcerers--I blame this entirely on my love for the world of Harry Potter, honestly. Nothing else ever QUITE matches up, I guess. I mean, how could anything be expected to?! BUT--I went into this book hoping to be scared out of my skull. The blurb sounded promising. I got a sort of [b:Sinner|232035|Sinner (Wayfarer Redemption, #4)|Sara Douglass|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1172943171s/232035.jpg|856939] feel almost immediately, despite the difference in worlds and premise. But...instead, I was sort of let down. There were a few cringe-worthy, creeptastic moments...but overall, the plot felt a bit 1-dimensional and unchallenged.
The woman was made of everything that she allowed Jonah to take: my missing heart.
"Can I go back to the way I was?" Samantha asked.
Samantha's conscience shook her head. "You've had direct action that led to the death of a man and a child. You're thinking about killing a third person. How do you expect to become the person you were?"
I really enjoyed how Elizabeth Guizzetti experimented with manipulation and emotional "abuse" in this novel (abuse in quotations because it's not QUITE the right word for what happens throughout this read). Jonah is a very driven, obsessive character on a dark mission. I got a few "Voldemort and the Horcruxes" feel throughout, especially given the fact Jonah essentially split himself (and another character, later on) into two separate entities. The rest of the characters also go through their own transformations, psychotic breaks, and intriguing struggles. The fact that Jonah uses manipulation to break and mold the ENTIRE town (save, of course, our "heroine") made this an even better descent into pure chaos and insanity. No character was overlooked or cast aside--every single person who came into contact with Jonah and his plight, was touched and changed irreversibly. This was both well-done and supremely creepy.
And that ending! The ending is probably the most horrifying part of the entire read--and I mean the ACTUAL ending, not the few pages prior to it. There's a huge plot twist within the very last few sentences that entirely changed my ideas on the Gods portrayed in this read...and took me by complete surprise. Of course, this also means the ending is basically a huge cliffhanger...but honestly, I don't feel as if I was let down by this in any way. After all, the big "story" for this first novel was completed and put to bed... The cliffhanger is, effectively, just leading readers into the next big story line.
While I was slightly disappointed overall by the lack of horror in this read (at least, for me personally--it might be scary to others, even if it wasn't for me!), I had a great time learning about this world and the way magic works within it. The plot does drag in a few moments, and some of the prose gets a bit tedious with descriptors and abstract language... but overall, this was an entertaining and creepy look into magic and manipulation. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for book two in the future--I can't wait to see what the big cliffhanger at the end means for our characters! I recommend this to lovers of obsessive characters, magical realism, and creepy villains!
liisp_cvr2cvr's review against another edition
3.0
If this book was music, it would be stoner rock- interesting, laid back, various elements…
While the earthy tones and witchery magic are quite interesting to read about, like with stoner rock at times, this book left me restless, wishing for more… more punch sooner, more energy and a quicker rhythm (that’s why I’m more inclined towards metal). In other words- you really need to be into this sort of thing, or in the right mood. I would have liked to have read about the Three sleeping gods more, I would have liked to have read less about that bloody Aston Martin and how everyone just wished they had one and how they admired Jonah because he was wearing [insert brand] jeans or whatever fancy clothes. Yes, in a way that was part of his ‘power’ and intent, but it got old for me real fast. Give me ancient bloodlusty gods over the description of leather seats in Aston Martin. Give me more magic spells in a forest over Oliver making better coffee for the gnomes than the Friendly Bean joint in town. However, this is a well written book, very thorough and does take you right into the sleepy seaside town which thrives on tourism and hides in itself residents with extra abilities. One of the reviewers on Goodreads, who rated the book 5 stars, said: “It’s a claustrophobic read, which is brilliant because it sucks you into the small community of Sitka’s Quay and refuses to let you go.”
So, it happened that the first half of the book I found to be full of petty human thoughts yet I can understand the necessity of this structure to provide basis for the second half of the book. I just did not enjoy that start. For me personally, there was bit too much detailed description to getting to know everyone.
What was really good- how everything came together! It’s a really interesting plot and I definitely enjoyed the magic being tied to the earthy connection.
The second half of the book was more pacy, racy and stuff happened. Like action went down big time and it was for me way more enjoyable to read- even though some really bad stuff happened with the children. Power corrupts- in real life and in books.
There is a good mix of characters in this book- humans, humans with abilities, gnomes, Keeper of The grove and her mentors… A fella who should have been a Keeper but used too much magic and went crazy and is now found to be walking bollock naked at times in town… oops.
If you’re a fan of urban fantasy, magic and a comfortable sit-back-and-relax kind of reading, this book is for you.
The Grove was published on July 12th and I received a review copy direct from the author. Thank you!
While the earthy tones and witchery magic are quite interesting to read about, like with stoner rock at times, this book left me restless, wishing for more… more punch sooner, more energy and a quicker rhythm (that’s why I’m more inclined towards metal). In other words- you really need to be into this sort of thing, or in the right mood. I would have liked to have read about the Three sleeping gods more, I would have liked to have read less about that bloody Aston Martin and how everyone just wished they had one and how they admired Jonah because he was wearing [insert brand] jeans or whatever fancy clothes. Yes, in a way that was part of his ‘power’ and intent, but it got old for me real fast. Give me ancient bloodlusty gods over the description of leather seats in Aston Martin. Give me more magic spells in a forest over Oliver making better coffee for the gnomes than the Friendly Bean joint in town. However, this is a well written book, very thorough and does take you right into the sleepy seaside town which thrives on tourism and hides in itself residents with extra abilities. One of the reviewers on Goodreads, who rated the book 5 stars, said: “It’s a claustrophobic read, which is brilliant because it sucks you into the small community of Sitka’s Quay and refuses to let you go.”
So, it happened that the first half of the book I found to be full of petty human thoughts yet I can understand the necessity of this structure to provide basis for the second half of the book. I just did not enjoy that start. For me personally, there was bit too much detailed description to getting to know everyone.
What was really good- how everything came together! It’s a really interesting plot and I definitely enjoyed the magic being tied to the earthy connection.
The second half of the book was more pacy, racy and stuff happened. Like action went down big time and it was for me way more enjoyable to read- even though some really bad stuff happened with the children. Power corrupts- in real life and in books.
There is a good mix of characters in this book- humans, humans with abilities, gnomes, Keeper of The grove and her mentors… A fella who should have been a Keeper but used too much magic and went crazy and is now found to be walking bollock naked at times in town… oops.
If you’re a fan of urban fantasy, magic and a comfortable sit-back-and-relax kind of reading, this book is for you.
The Grove was published on July 12th and I received a review copy direct from the author. Thank you!
laurav's review
5.0
*ARC received by author in exchange for honest review*
In case it's not obvious by now I love Elizabeth Guizzetti's writing. And I jumped at the chance to read her latest book because OF COURSE I want to read her latest book. This is certainly a departure from her other two books, given that those were strictly science-fiction and The Grove is most definitely a fantasy/horror novel.
So, what did I think? I pretty much loved it. Guizzetti's writing is as strong as ever and the idea behind the book is an interesting one (as usual). What I liked best was the whole idea of real magic in modern times (sorcerers leave "magic knots" on their shop doors to prevent theft in addition to setting their alarms, for example) (also she includes references to real Wiccan/Pagan practices) and I just thought that was great because usually there's always the alternate world where the magic is hidden (not that those are bad, mind you, I just like the whole idea of magic being a thing in the "real" world). The characters were good, although I actually found myself rather frustrated with a lot of them in the beginning (and I am big enough to admit that I never really warmed up to Oliver), but I have to say I loved Dayla from the beginning and Jonah is probably one of the best written villains ever. I liked Dayla a lot, and she was a pretty strong character and I liked her progress a lot throughout the book.
The plot itself was really good, and I loved the little mysteries that cropped up, and there were lots of twists that kept me on my toes. I found it a teensy bit draggy in the middle, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment. The last third of the book was intense and I just could not stop reading! I kept turning pages (or, you know, swiping my Kindle screen?) because I had to find out what happened next--I couldn't put it down! The ending blew me away--I was so not expecting it to go where it did and I think that was such a fabulous twist! I love endings that take me by surprise and this is definitely one of those.
Overall, The Grove pulls you in and definitely doesn't want to let you go. I hope Guizzetti writes more books in this genre because like she is with science fiction, she is very good at bringing fantasy and horror to life. Highly recommended.
In case it's not obvious by now I love Elizabeth Guizzetti's writing. And I jumped at the chance to read her latest book because OF COURSE I want to read her latest book. This is certainly a departure from her other two books, given that those were strictly science-fiction and The Grove is most definitely a fantasy/horror novel.
So, what did I think? I pretty much loved it. Guizzetti's writing is as strong as ever and the idea behind the book is an interesting one (as usual). What I liked best was the whole idea of real magic in modern times (sorcerers leave "magic knots" on their shop doors to prevent theft in addition to setting their alarms, for example) (also she includes references to real Wiccan/Pagan practices) and I just thought that was great because usually there's always the alternate world where the magic is hidden (not that those are bad, mind you, I just like the whole idea of magic being a thing in the "real" world). The characters were good, although I actually found myself rather frustrated with a lot of them in the beginning (and I am big enough to admit that I never really warmed up to Oliver), but I have to say I loved Dayla from the beginning and Jonah is probably one of the best written villains ever. I liked Dayla a lot, and she was a pretty strong character and I liked her progress a lot throughout the book.
The plot itself was really good, and I loved the little mysteries that cropped up, and there were lots of twists that kept me on my toes. I found it a teensy bit draggy in the middle, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment. The last third of the book was intense and I just could not stop reading! I kept turning pages (or, you know, swiping my Kindle screen?) because I had to find out what happened next--I couldn't put it down! The ending blew me away--I was so not expecting it to go where it did and I think that was such a fabulous twist! I love endings that take me by surprise and this is definitely one of those.
Overall, The Grove pulls you in and definitely doesn't want to let you go. I hope Guizzetti writes more books in this genre because like she is with science fiction, she is very good at bringing fantasy and horror to life. Highly recommended.
spinesinaline's review
3.0
Find my full review at http://spinesinaline.wordpress.com
This was a really interesting book but just felt a little slow in parts. I loved the author's creativity in creating this world! Her descriptions of the magic used by the different characters was really entertaining, especially as her idea of magic so differs from what it usually portrayed. Rather than simple spells cast at random, magic in this book is actually quite draining so it requires more preparation.
I personally wouldn't call this a horror novel. It's certainly dark but it never reaches "scary". There was room for horror but it felt like the book couldn't hit those marks and so it just remained a suspenseful read but nothing more.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really interesting book but just felt a little slow in parts. I loved the author's creativity in creating this world! Her descriptions of the magic used by the different characters was really entertaining, especially as her idea of magic so differs from what it usually portrayed. Rather than simple spells cast at random, magic in this book is actually quite draining so it requires more preparation.
I personally wouldn't call this a horror novel. It's certainly dark but it never reaches "scary". There was room for horror but it felt like the book couldn't hit those marks and so it just remained a suspenseful read but nothing more.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
ian's review
4.0
I'm not a big reader of horror novels, but I was blown away by 'The Grove.' It is by far the author's best book yet. The action is steady right up until the climax, when all the threads of the plot come together in one glorious twist.
Overall the characters were all believable and relate able. I especially liked Dayla, the Keeper of the Grove, and her husband. I will be first in line to read the next book in this series.
Note: I got this book free from the author in exchange for an authentic review
Overall the characters were all believable and relate able. I especially liked Dayla, the Keeper of the Grove, and her husband. I will be first in line to read the next book in this series.
Note: I got this book free from the author in exchange for an authentic review
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