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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Every character is just not like those other girls because they’re so dark and “morbid” and oh gosh golly no one ever understands me because I’m just so morbid. Now let me go invade strangers privacy and break like 7 laws because I have a thirst for the truth… (pulls down brim of investigator hat, bites lip not like the other girls). Also, apparently, cops are just so quirky and comforting and wowee I wish I was a cop so I could better invade peoples privacy(that is not me exaggerating, that was a thought one of the main characters had).
Was not a fan if you couldn’t tell. Finished it so I could give an honest review.
Was not a fan if you couldn’t tell. Finished it so I could give an honest review.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
If you like supernatural books, this was a great one. I wish there was a bit more closure with one of the characters, but overall, I really liked it and would read again. This was the best St. James book I've read by far as well.
It's refreshing to discover a new horror writer that stands out with well-written characters and believable dialog.
After finishing The Sun Down Motel, I ordered a used copy of The Broken Girls to check out her earlier work.
After finishing The Sun Down Motel, I ordered a used copy of The Broken Girls to check out her earlier work.
2.5 stars. Amateur crime investigation meets haunted motel. The premise of the novel was original and interesting and although I can’t mark it as a great read for me, it sure was entertaining and it delivered what it promised.
In this novel we had two points of view, and while the jumps between both of them were well done, sometimes the information we were getting as readers felt repeated even if the change of perspective made it feel a bit “newer”. As it tends to happen (at least for me), I liked Viv more than Carly, aka I liked the character that had the third person narration more than the character that was the narrator in first person, so I had to endure Carly’s personal thoughts. I didn’t despite her, so it wasn’t that bad, but Vivian was a way more interesting character to me so I wish they had given her the full spot light.
How Viv hunted the hunter was a bit improbable at times, but given that the first big clue was given to her by a ghost I could overlook the rest. Carly on the other hand had more means to get to the truth and yet it took her way more time (and pages); obviously it was going to be hard because of the decades that had passed, but it irked me a bit, again because through Viv’s point of view we already knew what was going on.
The atmosphere of the motel was great; eerie and creepy, or at least it was in the beginning. As Vivian started to learn more I felt that the chilling air around the motel dissipated and I could even forget that there were some powerful angry ghosts in there unless they made an appearance. Vivian didn’t feel threatened so why should I feel scared by it? I wish that the author had kept the horror aspect of the novel for longer, at points it felt like an afterthought.
The final plot twist about Callum was surprising but it didn’t struck me, it was easy to sweep to the side, especially because Carly didn’t had a big reaction to it until things turned south and that barely lasted. In a way it annoyed me how after that big reveal it was Nick the one who chased Callum and the one who found him at the motel so we, as readers, aren’t a part of it; we don’t see the real end regarding the ghosts happen.
In a way I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and a letdown after all the buildup. I truly don’t know what I wanted out of it, but Vivian randomly appearing out of nowhere and confessing, and the motel just collapsing, wasn’t it.
I’m also still wondering why plant the doubt about Nick’s past if that wasn’t going to be explored beyond the shallow retell of what happened, or the insistence of the author with telling us how weird Heather was and how she always covered herself in a pathological way if we never going to know why. Also I wish there have been a real closure for Betty, not just her going berserk and Carly never checking if she was hunting.
Summing up, this novel was entertaining but I feel it could have given much more.
In this novel we had two points of view, and while the jumps between both of them were well done, sometimes the information we were getting as readers felt repeated even if the change of perspective made it feel a bit “newer”. As it tends to happen (at least for me), I liked Viv more than Carly, aka I liked the character that had the third person narration more than the character that was the narrator in first person, so I had to endure Carly’s personal thoughts. I didn’t despite her, so it wasn’t that bad, but Vivian was a way more interesting character to me so I wish they had given her the full spot light.
How Viv hunted the hunter was a bit improbable at times, but given that the first big clue was given to her by a ghost I could overlook the rest. Carly on the other hand had more means to get to the truth and yet it took her way more time (and pages); obviously it was going to be hard because of the decades that had passed, but it irked me a bit, again because through Viv’s point of view we already knew what was going on.
The atmosphere of the motel was great; eerie and creepy, or at least it was in the beginning. As Vivian started to learn more I felt that the chilling air around the motel dissipated and I could even forget that there were some powerful angry ghosts in there unless they made an appearance. Vivian didn’t feel threatened so why should I feel scared by it? I wish that the author had kept the horror aspect of the novel for longer, at points it felt like an afterthought.
The final plot twist about Callum was surprising but it didn’t struck me, it was easy to sweep to the side, especially because Carly didn’t had a big reaction to it until things turned south and that barely lasted. In a way it annoyed me how after that big reveal it was Nick the one who chased Callum and the one who found him at the motel so we, as readers, aren’t a part of it; we don’t see the real end regarding the ghosts happen.
In a way I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and a letdown after all the buildup. I truly don’t know what I wanted out of it, but Vivian randomly appearing out of nowhere and confessing, and the motel just collapsing, wasn’t it.
I’m also still wondering why plant the doubt about Nick’s past if that wasn’t going to be explored beyond the shallow retell of what happened, or the insistence of the author with telling us how weird Heather was and how she always covered herself in a pathological way if we never going to know why. Also I wish there have been a real closure for Betty, not just her going berserk and Carly never checking if she was hunting.
Summing up, this novel was entertaining but I feel it could have given much more.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Another great mystery from Simone St. James! Not only a mystery, but a ghost story as well. The book starts at the Sundown Motel in 1982. Viv, a girl from Illinois, ends up in Fell, NY on her way to NYC. She starts working at the Sundown Motel, which she quickly realizes is haunted. She also starts to investigate why so many girls are killed in Fell, but one night she goes missing. 35 years later, Viv’s niece, Carly, travels to Fell to find out what happened to her aunt. She also works at the Sundown Motel as a night clerk and realizes the motel is haunted and starts investigating all the dead girls in Fell, just like her aunt 35 years earlier. I thought the ending wrapped things up nicely. In addition, I really enjoyed reading both points of view. The beginning was a little slow for me, but it really picks up from the middle to the end.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There were times when the writing, particularly the dialogue, was a little clunky, but that did not take away from this great supernatural horror/crime book. I really enjoyed the dual-narration from both Viv and Carly as the mystery came together.