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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautifully written and profoundly poignant, the narrative is unfortunately hindered by its odd pacing.
The setting is evocatively established—the time period, the insular atmosphere of the small rural village—so too is the protagonist’s inner turmoil: her sense of being a fish out of water, the anger and guilt, her pervasive loneliness. However, the narrative refrains from delving into anything that resembles horror until very late in the book. Though I love a slow burn that gradually infuses a sense of unease into the narration, and where the character's descent into madness is slowly revealed, the eerie elements of Grey Dog only make their appearance sporadically, and rather late. This makes the climax feels abrupt as everything 'breaks loose' all at once.
The author excels at intertwining the 'ordinary' horrors faced by women in that historical period with the elements of folk horror. Perhaps it is the slow and detailed exploration of these 'everyday life' aspects that allows readers to fully grasp these ordinary horrors. Still, the connection between these and the folk horror elements would have been more poignant if they were intricately interwoven throughout the narrative, rather than being abruptly combined at the end.
dark
slow-paced
I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this one...
I just don't think that "female rage" is the right descriptor
Some parts(especially towards the end) had me drawing some parallels to "Formerly Feral" from Julia Armfield's salt slow collection
I just don't think that "female rage" is the right descriptor
Some parts
What a hideous trick this mind of mine plays on me! When I find a person hateful or tiresome, I can say anything I like, but whenever I meet a person who I think might be a friend, I clap shut as firmly as an oyster
girl, same
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
She likes to live deliciously
Eh, mental breakdown "horror." Not my jam. Feels like every other book doing the same thing.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book turned out to be so much more than what I thought. It took me two tries to get into this book; the first time was just kinda slow and I wasn't really getting pulled in like I expected. The second time had me!
This story turns out to be a wild one. As I was reading and listening to it I'm not sure that I fully grasped what was happening and it wasn't until I finished it and thought about it did I realize what exactly I had read. The storytelling here is great! It is sinister and foreboding and just plain eerie at times and I loved it! It feels like there are a lot of larger ideas and metaphors going on this one that you can spend so much time teasing out and that is something that I love when I read a book. I loved the setting and how the characters were written and the entire plot was just spooky and fun.
Not to give anything away, you open with Ada Byrd in 1901 who has just accepted a teaching post in an isolated village. Things seem to be going well until weird things start happening to Ada and she begins to see and hear things. What comes after is Ada's slow decline into what? and stories of the Grey Dog. Honestly, this book was so good and weird and freaky all at the same time. It's a fun read for spooky season or maybe even on a cold winter's night when the wind sounds like it is saying your name...
This story turns out to be a wild one. As I was reading and listening to it I'm not sure that I fully grasped what was happening and it wasn't until I finished it and thought about it did I realize what exactly I had read. The storytelling here is great! It is sinister and foreboding and just plain eerie at times and I loved it! It feels like there are a lot of larger ideas and metaphors going on this one that you can spend so much time teasing out and that is something that I love when I read a book. I loved the setting and how the characters were written and the entire plot was just spooky and fun.
Not to give anything away, you open with Ada Byrd in 1901 who has just accepted a teaching post in an isolated village. Things seem to be going well until weird things start happening to Ada and she begins to see and hear things. What comes after is Ada's slow decline into what? and stories of the Grey Dog. Honestly, this book was so good and weird and freaky all at the same time. It's a fun read for spooky season or maybe even on a cold winter's night when the wind sounds like it is saying your name...
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
A beautifully written slow burn. I enjoyed every minute in Ada’s journal and couldn’t put the book down.
