3.34 AVERAGE

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I’m not sure how to sum up my feelings about this book. I had really high hopes as I’ve heard lots of great things, and while I did enjoy it and it leaves you with a lot to think about, i also felt i fell flat in the end. 

The premise is fascinating. What would it take for you to believe you have the power to prevent the world ending? What would you be willing to sacrifice to save humanity? What’s more selfless, killing one of your own to potentially stop the apocalypse, or do nothing in case it’s all a lie? It really makes you think about what you would do in this situation. 

This felt very full of grief, and explored how different people react to that in their own ways, especially when you’re faced with it during a time where you cannot process your feelings properly. I took a sense of sadness away from this more than being frightened, but that’s what I enjoy about horror, it can make you feel so many things. 

I will be reading more Paul Tremblay as I’m interested in his storytelling! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
slow-paced

pretty much from the beginning of this book to
Wen’s death
, i was in love with this book. but after
her death
, it feels like the plot just… grinds to a halt? it’s like that just killed the urgency of what was happening and then the characters just meandered about until the book ended. i may just need to give up on paul tremblay’s work, this is the third book of his i’ve read (well, one was a dnf) and his work just never quite hits with me
slow-paced

It's overplayed at this point to compare horror creators and cite so and so as the "next Stephen King" and what have you but having finished Tremblay's excellent book I am struck that he reminds me greatly of not an author but instead the director Mike Flanagan who's gift for making haunting but deeply empathetic stories that intertwine with familial and religious trauma rings very true of Tremblay in the most complimentary sense.

Tremblay's book is not so much horrifying as it is heartbreaking in it's well-paced and surprisingly emotional character study of a couple unwillingly forced to make a horrific choice and the people who are unwillingly forced to offer it to them. Ambiguous and tense, Tremblay ultimately leaves us without any ultimate answers to the cosmic questions he sets before us, but hasn't religion always done that?

Fantastic, I will be devouring the rest of Tremblay's works as quickly as I can get my hands on them.
challenging dark 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: No
dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Twisted as fuck, and I don't say that about many books. I also don't read much horror, but the premise of this novel interested me. Who doesn't want to go to a cabin in the boonies at the end of a lane and read by the pond all day?

This family does just that. Little Wen is collecting grasshoppers in the yard when a stranger approaches. Her two dads aren't worrying too much about her since she hasn't been along too long, but whoa, do things happen fast. A little bit apocalyptic, a little bit psychological thriller, a lot of relationship and family drama.

And people die. It is horror. I read it in two days, so you know it was good!
challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes