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shadowspinner's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Child death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse
purstiltski's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Child abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
ashthemenace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved it. In parts it felt like something a horror & angst-loving fanfic writer created, and it was fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Gore and Bullying
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt
emory's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Honestly it feels unfair of me to rate this book this poorly, as it's clearly just not something to my taste. I wouldn't pick out a YA book now, but I was recommended this about a year ago, and my taste has changed quite a bit since then.
And were I a teenager in the intended audience of this book I might have loved it. There were genuinely intense moments that carried the narrative through, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't hold my attention and intrigue, no matter what opinions I was forming as I read. I breezed through this book in a few days. It was a compelling narrative with several different original concepts (will touch on that later though..) and a well fleshed out main character.
Additionally, the inclusion of characters of color in a small town horror was refreshing (although the characterization of a black female character as crass and wild was certainly questionable), as was the inclusion of disabled characters--not only that, but the traits associated with their disabilities help the characters on their journey instead of hindering them. Sign language is not an annoyance but one of the only ways the characters are able to speak to one another when robbed of the ability to speak out loud. The character who does not know sign language is interpreted for by a HOH character who reads her lips. The stutter of another character is key in deciphering her fate. . At the risk of sounding like an asshole, though, I wish the author didn't spend so much time going over this to make sure that we the readers realized that we were receiving capital R representation and just let the characters' inclusion speak for itself.
As enthralling as short stretches of this book were, my biggest issue is that the book overall seems to have no concept of suspense. I again might sound downright mean, but I've read nosleep threads with a better grasp on the pacing of a horror/thriller, and the way the narrative speeds up halfway through betrays that the author seems to have been getting just as bored as I was. It reads less like a horror and more like the least favorite installment in a middle grade fantasy series. The prose contains no subtlety; every scare is explained for pages upon pages. This is scary, look how scary this is? Did you catch the scare?
Creatures and events that would frighten more when left to the imagination are beaten out for a minimum of a full paragraph every time; the mood of each scene is painfully skipped over, casting the whole book in a feeling of "meh".
Even the deaths feel lackluster, as no character in this book talks like a human. Everybody talks like either a therapist or a 40 year old man's idea of what middle schoolers talk about at lunch. ("Welcome to the Trauma Kids club" had me physically cringing). All conflict is resolved in a matter of a page or two, because the characters tell all about their inner turmoil and excise all realistic conversation. And obviously, there are so many characters for kill count fodder, but really it just gets hard to keep them straight when only 3 or 4 are ever really saying anything.
One of the books largest strengths, the twist that Nick had died and Sara had forgotten him, was mind boggling and a wonderful use by the author of the found "footage" outline of the narrative. Double checking that yes, Sara really had not mentioned Nick at all in her statements that made up the main narrative, and that every reference to him was in supplemental materials only , was an artful trick of writing, and I was impressed by it. The full chapter's worth of explanation that this is what happened was a little excessive, though.
Marshall then tries this twist technique 3 more times throughout the book, the final big twist feeling hurried and unearned, and what makes it even more excruciating is that each time it is explained just as explicitly and heavy handedly. A big red stamp saying "UNRELIABLE NARRATOR" would've been more tolerable and less direct. All suspense or mystery is stomped out by the apparent need to make sure every single reader got exactly the right takeway without having to think about it themselves for even a second.
My final complaint is that the plot is just batshit. Marshall starts out with a strong concept of a ghost road and a legend of a lost girl, with interesting encounters at the beginning. Even the first, albeit slightly predictable, scare gets credit from me because of the unnerving description and Haunting of Hill House homage ("whose hand was I holding?!"). But as the group progresses through the gates, it gets more and more convoluted and twee. This is why I said it feels more like a contrived fantasy series than a horror novel. The legend expands into something poorly constructed and utterly off color from the rest of the book up to that point. Random points make no sense, and we receive bits of lore in all the wrong places. A central conflict at multiple points is that they need even pairs to get through the darkness, but a triple pair got through perfectly fine right at the beginning. As I type this, I suppose it would be because Miranda is dead already (btw: another random shark jumpy plot point), but this is not discovered by the characters until after they exit the road, and they would have no reason to believe exiting with odd numbers would do anything to them. Seriouslu, there is so much conflict based on this one point that was not a problem at all prior? . The main evil makes no real sense, and the existence of the road in itself is disappointingly skipped over in a weirdly lore heavy ending narrative.
It feels like a motley of every possible idea the author had, and the disjointment has a negative impact on the tone and the flow of the story. It's not an absence of creativity or writing prowess, but a disappointing follow through and entirely too many concepts to be thoroughly explored as connected.
The strong sections pulled me through, but the overall book felt like missed potential and flat scares held together by irritatingly unbelievable dialogue and a disappointing use of the original format.
And were I a teenager in the intended audience of this book I might have loved it. There were genuinely intense moments that carried the narrative through, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't hold my attention and intrigue, no matter what opinions I was forming as I read. I breezed through this book in a few days. It was a compelling narrative with several different original concepts (will touch on that later though..) and a well fleshed out main character.
Additionally, the inclusion of characters of color in a small town horror was refreshing (although the characterization of a black female character as crass and wild was certainly questionable), as was the inclusion of disabled characters--not only that, but
As enthralling as short stretches of this book were, my biggest issue is that the book overall seems to have no concept of suspense. I again might sound downright mean, but I've read nosleep threads with a better grasp on the pacing of a horror/thriller, and the way the narrative speeds up halfway through betrays that the author seems to have been getting just as bored as I was. It reads less like a horror and more like the least favorite installment in a middle grade fantasy series. The prose contains no subtlety; every scare is explained for pages upon pages. This is scary, look how scary this is? Did you catch the scare?
Creatures and events that would frighten more when left to the imagination are beaten out for a minimum of a full paragraph every time; the mood of each scene is painfully skipped over, casting the whole book in a feeling of "meh".
Even the deaths feel lackluster, as no character in this book talks like a human. Everybody talks like either a therapist or a 40 year old man's idea of what middle schoolers talk about at lunch. ("Welcome to the Trauma Kids club" had me physically cringing). All conflict is resolved in a matter of a page or two, because the characters tell all about their inner turmoil and excise all realistic conversation. And obviously, there are so many characters for kill count fodder, but really it just gets hard to keep them straight when only 3 or 4 are ever really saying anything.
One of the books largest strengths, the twist that
Marshall then tries this twist technique 3 more times throughout the book, the final big twist feeling hurried and unearned, and what makes it even more excruciating is that each time it is explained just as explicitly and heavy handedly. A big red stamp saying "UNRELIABLE NARRATOR" would've been more tolerable and less direct. All suspense or mystery is stomped out by the apparent need to make sure every single reader got exactly the right takeway without having to think about it themselves for even a second.
My final complaint is that the plot is just batshit. Marshall starts out with a strong concept of a ghost road and a legend of a lost girl, with interesting encounters at the beginning. Even the first, albeit slightly predictable, scare gets credit from me because of the unnerving description and Haunting of Hill House homage ("whose hand was I holding?!"). But as the group progresses through the gates, it gets more and more convoluted and twee. This is why I said it feels more like a contrived fantasy series than a horror novel. The legend expands into something poorly constructed and utterly off color from the rest of the book up to that point. Random points make no sense, and we receive bits of lore in all the wrong places. A central conflict at multiple points is that
It feels like a motley of every possible idea the author had, and the disjointment has a negative impact on the tone and the flow of the story. It's not an absence of creativity or writing prowess, but a disappointing follow through and entirely too many concepts to be thoroughly explored as connected.
The strong sections pulled me through, but the overall book felt like missed potential and flat scares held together by irritatingly unbelievable dialogue and a disappointing use of the original format.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
collinsd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Self harm, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Death
georgiakirkegard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Body horror, and Child death
Minor: Suicide attempt
mooandshoe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had a hard time getting into the style of writing at first, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I almost stopped reading at around 18% because the way the interview, text, and video portions were written was very tedious to me at first. However, it picked up around that point and I couldn’t put it down. Super mysterious story that keeps you guessing.
The ending kind of confused me a little bit, and I’m not really sure what happened? I think everything got mostly fixed but the report/found footage mysterious style of the ending especially made it a little hard to piece together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Body horror
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, and Blood
Minor: Vomit
rogueblackwood's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars.
This book is a trip!! There's even a specific trope that I usually hate but it works here well. I usually hate an unreliable narrator, but in this case, she is unreliable but not on purpose. It was quite well done! And while the ending may leave some upset with its lack of definitive answers, I liked the way it lets you figure out or guess what happened. If gave me Head Full of Ghosts Vibes as far as the ending goes.
I do agree with the Blair Witch reference for the style of storytelling but once you're in the woods it really feels very Silent Hill-esque in many ways! I can't wait to read the next book. I've seen that this is a series in a way that the investigators are the same in this and the Our Last Echoes.
And anyone thinking that YA Horror pulls punches in regards to horror or tragedy should read this!
This book is a trip!! There's even a specific trope that I usually hate but it works here well.
I do agree with the Blair Witch reference for the style of storytelling but once you're in the woods it really feels very Silent Hill-esque in many ways! I can't wait to read the next book. I've seen that this is a series in a way that the investigators are the same in this and the Our Last Echoes.
And anyone thinking that YA Horror pulls punches in regards to horror or tragedy should read this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Body horror
beforeviolets's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Oh my stars was this book horrifying. This is the first book I've ever read that caused me to worry about my ability to sleep at night. I literally had to fall asleep watching Netflix because I read this a little too late one night.
I loved the format and the delivery of this book. It was scary and terrifying and mystifying in all the right ways. I'm such a huge fan of the mixed media style. It not only aided the story itself by providing different perspectives and snippets in such an order that allowed things to be revealed or hidden or vague depending on the author's intentions at any given time, but also kept my attention span constantly engaged and constantly entertained with something new. I was constantly faced with unreliable narrators/POV's and situational irony and it added a whole extra layer of entertainment to the already thrilling narrative.
My only real issue was that the end was a little more open-ended than I personally would've preferred, but this book was so much about the journey anyways that it almost didn't matter.
I loved the format and the delivery of this book. It was scary and terrifying and mystifying in all the right ways. I'm such a huge fan of the mixed media style. It not only aided the story itself by providing different perspectives and snippets in such an order that allowed things to be revealed or hidden or vague depending on the author's intentions at any given time, but also kept my attention span constantly engaged and constantly entertained with something new. I was constantly faced with unreliable narrators/POV's and situational irony and it added a whole extra layer of entertainment to the already thrilling narrative.
My only real issue was that the end was a little more open-ended than I personally would've preferred, but this book was so much about the journey anyways that it almost didn't matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Domestic abuse
effys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It was kind of confusing but in a way that kept you pushing on to find out more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Mental illness