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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Me: I’m not afraid of cockroaches; I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Narrator: It was not, in fact, fine.
Narrator: It was not, in fact, fine.
As someone that lives in SC, I can totally sympathize with Kim. My first night sleeping in SC, I heard something hitting the window. I turned on the light and there was a 2" cockroach flying between the window and the vertical blinds.
And why did I still move here?! An excellent question.
What a delightful little story about the horrors of living in the American south. My only complaint is that I don't understand how Kim is surprised that her new home has roaches. Their former home was only 9 miles away - didn't they have them before?! It is a fact of life here, regardless of how clean your house is, that you will see and spray for roaches. Although this story is a bit on the extreme end...
What a fun little ride!
And why did I still move here?! An excellent question.
What a delightful little story about the horrors of living in the American south. My only complaint is that I don't understand how Kim is surprised that her new home has roaches. Their former home was only 9 miles away - didn't they have them before?! It is a fact of life here, regardless of how clean your house is, that you will see and spray for roaches. Although this story is a bit on the extreme end...
What a fun little ride!
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a Nightworms exclusive from November 2021. At the moment, I don't believe there is a way of purchasing/reading this. If this catches your interest though, hopefully it'll be released again.
That being said, I'm going to include my thoughts on it, but not an in-depth review. It's partially to document it for my own sake. Sadly, I would have to give this a low rating, but I don't see much of a point in assigning one. Ania Ahlborn is a wonderful author, but I wouldn't say this is her best work.
If you are afraid of bugs - cockroaches in particular - you'll find this much scarier than I did. I'm not afraid of palmetto bugs personally, although they are gross. That led to a dip in my rating, along with finishing it and thinking it was meh. It wasn't bad. But I don't see myself reaching for it again or recommending it to anyone outside of those that are looking for a novella about insects.
The main character, Kim, was absolutely insufferable. I have absolute compassion for anyone with phobias. But she treated her husband like shit (dude honestly seemed pretty damn understanding for the shit she was pulling), didn't care about her baby's safety, and made it her life mission to only complain. I can't stand characters (or people) like this, so it made it difficult to get through. The ending did have my skin crawling a little bit, but man did it anger me.
The final reason why this didn't do it for me - nothing was explained or wrapped up. It felt scattered and all over the place. It's good to sometimes leave the reader wondering why certain things happened but every single thing? Nope. It would have been nice to have some answers, even if not everything was addressed.
If this were to be published again, don't let my opinion deter you from reading it. I would say this is really going to be better for someone that despises roaches though or is looking for a quick horror novella about creepy infestations.
That being said, I'm going to include my thoughts on it, but not an in-depth review. It's partially to document it for my own sake. Sadly, I would have to give this a low rating, but I don't see much of a point in assigning one. Ania Ahlborn is a wonderful author, but I wouldn't say this is her best work.
If you are afraid of bugs - cockroaches in particular - you'll find this much scarier than I did. I'm not afraid of palmetto bugs personally, although they are gross. That led to a dip in my rating, along with finishing it and thinking it was meh. It wasn't bad. But I don't see myself reaching for it again or recommending it to anyone outside of those that are looking for a novella about insects.
The main character, Kim, was absolutely insufferable. I have absolute compassion for anyone with phobias. But she treated her husband like shit (dude honestly seemed pretty damn understanding for the shit she was pulling), didn't care about her baby's safety, and made it her life mission to only complain. I can't stand characters (or people) like this, so it made it difficult to get through. The ending did have my skin crawling a little bit, but man did it anger me.
The final reason why this didn't do it for me - nothing was explained or wrapped up. It felt scattered and all over the place. It's good to sometimes leave the reader wondering why certain things happened but every single thing? Nope. It would have been nice to have some answers, even if not everything was addressed.
If this were to be published again, don't let my opinion deter you from reading it. I would say this is really going to be better for someone that despises roaches though or is looking for a quick horror novella about creepy infestations.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Absolutely skin-crawling nightmare of moving into one's dream home, with one problem: bugs. Short, to the point, and completely effective, Palmetto tells a horrid story well and gets out. It's hard to pull off the "is the woman protagonist crazy or is her husband a dismissive jerk" bit that has of course been done a lot, but Ahlborn does it well.
My only complaint is basically that I wanted more of the book! I would have liked to learn more about the couple's relationship to flesh out those moments of conflict. I got the feeling the writing was fast in a way that was like holding one's breath to sprint to the end, but Ahlborn has the chops to open the book up a bit more, and let us stew in dread. Still, a fast-paced single-sitting creepshow, and I look forward to more from the author. Thanks, Night Worms!
My only complaint is basically that I wanted more of the book! I would have liked to learn more about the couple's relationship to flesh out those moments of conflict. I got the feeling the writing was fast in a way that was like holding one's breath to sprint to the end, but Ahlborn has the chops to open the book up a bit more, and let us stew in dread. Still, a fast-paced single-sitting creepshow, and I look forward to more from the author. Thanks, Night Worms!
fast-paced
Ack! Truly visceral insect horror in this one. A very quick, unsettling read about a couple moving into their dream house just before the birth of their first child, only to discover the house is infested with huge Palmetto roaches. In some ways, a straight-forward enough read, but there were moments that definitely lent the narrative shades of "The Yellow Wallpaper," and the uncertainty of whether or not Kim was really seeing what she thought she was seeing just added to the horror.
Bug horror books are not for me. I did enjoy the writing though and will definitely read more from Ania Ahlborn! Thanks to Night Worms for introducing me to this story and author!
Do bugs make your skin crawl? Bugs don't freak me out but that doesn't mean I want them in my house and in large numbers. Palmetto is a quick bug filled novella. A horrific story for anyone with a bug phobia. Creepy, Crawly good read.
Thank you Night Worms for including this book and in our subscription package.
Thank you Night Worms for including this book and in our subscription package.