Reviews - Мотель «Присмерк»

8.95k reviews for:

Мотель «Присмерк»

Simone St. James

3.98 AVERAGE

irishkat's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

jgondolfi's review against another edition

2.0

I got about a quarter of the way into The Sun Down Motel before all of the glowing Goodreads reviews made sense. I had a hard time understanding how a novel with amateur-at-best prose, multiple narrators, a laughably clichéd supernatural force, and a Bella Swan-esque narrator could earn such glowing reviews, until I realized that The Sun Down Motel is YA for adults, and the vast majority of Goodreads reviewers are really into that. I've mentioned before my qualms with YA, and I can also acknowledge that I enjoy many books that aren't particularly literary–Stephen King is one of my favorite authors after all. That being said, for me, this book was a signpost that I'd unknowingly crossed a border in my reading life. I no longer have patience for books that seem like they sprung from a weekend of furious writing. I can't stomach the painstaking and nauseatingly "cute" descriptions of Every. Character's. Outfit. plopped into the prose seemingly at random. I can't suspend my disbelief when a character "just knows!" something without any shred of evidence, just to advance the plot. I'm not interested in a haunted hotel that really has very little to do with the main plotline of the novel. In short, I can handle my fair share of "bad books"–I in equal parts loved and hated Twilight–but this book helped me realize that I just don't have the patience for bad writing I used to have. Maybe that's what happens when you're in your mid-thirties. I don't know.

queserasarah22's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

keegankupcakes's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

missdaniellexo's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Content Warnings

meh_nickki's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

gina_readsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

“The person who could be truly alone, in the company of no one but oneself and one’s own thoughts—that person was stronger than anyone else.”

I have been putting this one off for so long, and when a friend hyped up the audiobook, I knew to listen to a her since she’s fellow true crime girl. The dedication is: “For the odd girls, the nerdy girls, and the murderinos. This one’s yours.” I knew immediately that I would love this.

This books feels so atmospheric. It’s feels immersive and eerie, and is perfect for the story that it tells. Alternating timelines chronicle Carly’s search for her missing aunt in 2017 and her Aunt Viv’s time working at the creepy motel. They play into each other so well, and I loved how this leaned into the paranormal aspect. It’s adds such a chilling layer to the story.

I’m fascinated by missing people, so Carly’s search for her aunt was particularly compelling for me. I also felt like this is a great commentary on how society treats women and the danger of being out alone at night. We see this so often in true crime cases so it was satisfying to see these women so determined to solve each case. It’s a perfect “let the women do the work” book.

The audiobook is, in fact, excellent. It’s narrated by Brittany Pressley and Kirsten Potter, who do such a great job bringing their timelines to life. There were just a few parts that felt a bit slow, but overall this was so good and spoke to me as a true crime girl. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who follows true crime, and I can’t wait to dig into more books by Simone St. James.