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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I’m so glad I read The Reformatory before I read this. Reformatory was perfection. This? Not so much.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was STUNNING. Respectful of vodou, heartwarming, lovely. What I always WANT a Stephen King book to be.
Another case of a great concept massacred by its prose. The writing is incredibly inefficient, chock-full of filler words, "X was Y," and passive voice. Here are some particularly egregious examples:
The room was so dusty, she could see dust motes floating in the sunlight like swarms of tiny insects. [Wow, the room was so dusty she saw dust? I would have never guessed!]
The bathroom’s appearance was soured by a narrow ring of dark residue around the claw-foot bathtub’s drain. There was a similar patch of black, grainy residue hugging the bottom of the toilet bowl. She also saw a soggy yellow-brown leaf Mrs. Everly must have carelessly dropped inside without flushing it away. [All 3 sins within 3 sentences! That has to be a record.]
My estimate is, you could cut anywhere between 10-40% of all the words and make the story stronger.—and make no mistake, there's a good story here. Maybe I might return if I find more patience, but as it stands, what should have been a great gothic read has left me bored to tears.
I have to say that I found her science fiction books to be more entertaining and hold my interest more than this book.
dark
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated