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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
One of the best horror books that I have read in a while. The characters were realistic and the tie in with ancestors and voodoo made it creepy. I wanted to finish the book, but it was late evening and I didn't want to have nightmares so I finished the next morning. That has not happened for a while. The ending was confusing (there were 2 outcomes) but I decided that the second ending was part of Angela's descent back into madness. Due is one of my favorite authors!
The small print in the book was my only complaint.
The small print in the book was my only complaint.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5 Stars
I’ve been wanting to read one of Tananarive Due’s books ever since I saw her in the wonderful documentary “Horror Noire,” where among a sea of talking heads she stood out as the smartest person in the room. Before I dive into “The Reformatory,” the 2023 book I’m most excited about reading, I decided to start with this earlier work.
This book is stunning, in both senses of the word. It’s richly detailed, character-driven horror that draws on vodou spiritual practices without being gimmicky or appropriative. I loved how the story moved between timelines to draw intergenerational lines of light and darkness, lending it the quality of a fever dream. Due is a skilled writer, and I plowed through this book eager to see where she would take it. While I wouldn’t call it scary, per se, it does stare straight into the abyss…finding hope on the other side.
(It must be said: I know Washington Square Press was a small publisher and this is quite a long novel, but the typeface in this book is the smallest I’ve ever seen.)
I’ve been wanting to read one of Tananarive Due’s books ever since I saw her in the wonderful documentary “Horror Noire,” where among a sea of talking heads she stood out as the smartest person in the room. Before I dive into “The Reformatory,” the 2023 book I’m most excited about reading, I decided to start with this earlier work.
This book is stunning, in both senses of the word. It’s richly detailed, character-driven horror that draws on vodou spiritual practices without being gimmicky or appropriative. I loved how the story moved between timelines to draw intergenerational lines of light and darkness, lending it the quality of a fever dream. Due is a skilled writer, and I plowed through this book eager to see where she would take it. While I wouldn’t call it scary, per se, it does stare straight into the abyss…finding hope on the other side.
(It must be said: I know Washington Square Press was a small publisher and this is quite a long novel, but the typeface in this book is the smallest I’ve ever seen.)
Very well-written and plotted, but bogged down with a lot of unnecessarily lengthy bits that made the book feel too long and slow. The middle could have been half the length it is, especially much of the lengthy meandering descriptions of relationships past and present. It was relevant to the story up to a point, but then it went beyond character-building and got so deep into the main character’s indecision over her past first love versus her current estranged husband that I struggled to keep caring. Perhaps a reader who wants a horror-romance crossover would like this degree of detail, but I am not that reader.
The last quarter of the book picked back up and delivered with some strong and unexpected visuals. The ending was particularly well-done.
I would have given it four stars if it were half or two-thirds the length.
The last quarter of the book picked back up and delivered with some strong and unexpected visuals. The ending was particularly well-done.
I would have given it four stars if it were half or two-thirds the length.