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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Haunting- while reading I stumbled upon a butterfly with a cleanly severed head and felt more than a little disturbed
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this, more so than I thought I would due to the setting being Victorian era, which historically has led to me dragging my feet on finishing the novel. Contrary to this, I found I could barely put down Grey Dog for more than a few hours without gravitating back to it.
I think part of this was due to the format, which was short journal-style entries. It not only gives you a good idea of how much time is passing for Ada, but you also get a great representation of how her mental state is shifting. Sequences are short enough that you are always eager to start the next “chapter” and when they are longer you feel like they merit it.
Something about this novels imagery is just so immersive. I would love to see some sort of live action reproduction of this novel, be it a movie or a play.
I feel like there were so many points throughout the novel where I (regrettably) related quite a bit to how Ada was feeling, and felt a bit of a sick satisfaction in her “self-destructive” actions that most “sane” individuals would be unwilling to take.
At the end I found I was just left with one question: What the dog doin?
I think part of this was due to the format, which was short journal-style entries. It not only gives you a good idea of how much time is passing for Ada, but you also get a great representation of how her mental state is shifting. Sequences are short enough that you are always eager to start the next “chapter” and when they are longer you feel like they merit it.
Something about this novels imagery is just so immersive. I would love to see some sort of live action reproduction of this novel, be it a movie or a play.
I feel like there were so many points throughout the novel where I (regrettably) related quite a bit to how Ada was feeling, and felt a bit of a sick satisfaction in her “self-destructive” actions that most “sane” individuals would be unwilling to take.
At the end I found I was just left with one question: What the dog doin?
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read the book cover to cover, despite finding myself about two thirds through the book not finding the main character to be likable at all. There is a reason for that, I think, but no matter that, I’m still not here for her. Overall, I did like this book and it kept me wondering and interested.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My second 5 star read of 2025! I was hooked from start to finish; I think I finally found the kind of horror I actually love to read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Blood
Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Loved the slow descent (ascent?) of Ada, on her journey to meet the grey dog.