Reviews

I couldn't put this one down! I mean, I had to put it down during the book's climax because my heart was pounding and I was getting too anxious. It was a bit predictable, but I didn't mind it.

rhensie's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

There are some really great parts to this book - the really good chronic illness (diabetes T1) rep, sapphics, haunted houses, and cycles of repeated trauma. If you like spooky YA sapphics, then this will probably be up your alley.

But the narrative felt a bit choppy at times; sometimes I was checking myself to see if I'd accidentally skipped a page, because the event-to-event narrative seemed a bit off and I felt that I was missing stuff. This was especially a problem during the final confrontation. I also didn't find it that scary or surprising at any point, and I saw the big twist coming a long time before it did. I also feel like, other than Dare (and maybe Rose), the characters aren't fleshed out very well; Holly's ending was

super sad, but I didn't really feel anything about it, and that's probably because I just didn't get to know her very well.

Quinn also felt a bit underdeveloped to me, and I don't see the point in Cathy at all.

marieintheraw's review against another edition

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5.0

I absolutely adore Sarah Glenn Marsh's Reign of the Fallen duology. Like to the point where reading this book was both a top priority and also the most terrifying task of all time. It is safe to say, however, that I should have just trusted my gut with this one in that I would absolutely adore it.

It is the perfect levels of spooky and Marsh does an excellent job of creating diverse, realistic characters without making them feel shoe-horned. Consider me a repeat reader.

I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however all opinions are my own.

mehsi's review against another edition

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5.0

“The Girls Are Never Gone” – a spooky read that I really enjoyed!

A spooky tale about a girl going for a vacation to renovate a spooky building, meeting friends, getting a romance, seeing ghosts, and oh yes, tons more! It was fantastic.

The spookiness and the mystery? Super well done. At first things were just pretty quiet, but as we learn more and see more things do get very hairy and scary. And wet. So wet. The ghosts really like that water. Or well, one of them especially does. We get flickering lights (classic), weird noises (classic), a ghost coming from the ceiling (oh welp), muddy water everywhere (nope), damp smells (nope), scary noises and doors opening on their own (run run run), and there is more. I was definitely spooked out many times and so this was a perfect read for Halloween. Plus, the mystery was perfection. We slowly get more and more puzzle pieces on what has happened in this house. What is happening in this house. Why. And what is next. I have to say there was one revelation that made me very pissed and made me want to throw that person into the freaking lake. WHAT is wrong with you? We do learn some things that may add to understanding, but for most I was just pissed. How it all came together and how the ending was just one big banger. YAS!

The romance? Love love love it! I loved how these girls talked. How they tried to make things work, but also set boundaries. We read about cute kisses and fun evenings just lying next to each other. Read about them having fun talking about their favourite shows. It was a bit instalove, but I didn’t mind it that much as I normally do. XD They just had such chemistry that I was rooting hard for them and that the ghosts wouldn’t be able to break them up.

Absolutely love love the rep on diabetes. I don’t have diabetes myself, but I do know how important it is to get more diversity and various reps in stories. We see how our MC has a pump and how she checks her levels with an app (or if her adorable dog has a good moment, that as well). We read how she has an emergency kit. How she has everything ready to get the pump working or clean it up. We read on her having to change the position of the pump. And more. Plus, I also loved the girl our MC was crushing on because she went to do research, made sure to keep her eyes peeled in case of something happening and making sure that she has snacks or drinks present just in case.

Bonus points to the adorable dog. I am always happy to get some good boys and girls in the story and this one was just the best.

But one big SAD SAD thing was that we barely got any podcast. We get a podcast before and after, but those are pretty small and other than that we do read that she is working on it and releasing them, but do we get to see them? No. Not at all. I get that we follow along on her mystery hunting, but I would still have liked to see the podcast. Plus, I am sure there could have been extra things added to the podcast. I was really looking forward to the podcast, that is one of the biggest reasons I bought the book. I love a book with a podcast element (and that comes from a girl who is not big on podcasts, mostly because my ADHD).

But despite the disappointing almost no podcast… I had tons of fun with this one. It was spooky as heck.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

chanicecruz93's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

anxiouslyreading33's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed this ghost story. The ending was a bit anticlimactic but the rest was creepy haunted house vibes

eezayon's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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