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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An excellent slow burn literary horror novel, full of organic creepiness and feminist rage. I really enjoyed the journal entry approach to learning about Ada’s life and her intersecting realities. I’m choosing to interpret the ending at face value, because that feels right and fun. If you were intrigued by the movie The Witch, I feel like this story has similar atmospheric vibes. May we all face our fears of the shadows on the cave wall and embrace “the God of outside”.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My review is very spoiler-y so I'll hide it under the cut:
I read a lot of reviews before I read this book that complained about Greydog both being too slow in the beginning and then having too ambiguous of an ending. I strongly disagree with both. The slowness in the beginning sets us up to understand Ada's life before Greydog appears. It's almost cozy if you can ignore the growing dread and horror of being a woman in this time period. Then the horror becomes more supernatural, instead of historical, and the book really takes off. I think if the ending feels like it isn't a real ending, you should rethink what Norah said about why she isn't someone who can be with greydog, but the last teacher and Ada are.
Alternatively, this book is like it was made in a lab for people like me who like stories about weird queer women losing their minds and answering the call of the only god who ever spoke back. This and The VVitch hold a very special place in my heart.
I read a lot of reviews before I read this book that complained about Greydog both being too slow in the beginning and then having too ambiguous of an ending. I strongly disagree with both. The slowness in the beginning sets us up to understand Ada's life before Greydog appears. It's almost cozy if you can ignore the growing dread and horror of being a woman in this time period. Then the horror becomes more supernatural, instead of historical, and the book really takes off. I think if the ending feels like it isn't a real ending, you should rethink what Norah said about why she isn't someone who can be with greydog, but the last teacher and Ada are.
Alternatively, this book is like it was made in a lab for people like me who like stories about weird queer women losing their minds and answering the call of the only god who ever spoke back. This and The VVitch hold a very special place in my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a very slow burn, quiet horror. To me, this was very reminiscent of the a24 movie, The Witch. It was very atmospheric and eerie. It was like the horror was slowly creeping under your skin until the intense ending. This is slow but the writing was very enchanting and well worth the read! Solid horror rec for the fall/winter season 🩵
dark
slow-paced