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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Has some pacing issues. Felt too slow moving, before fully unraveling all too quickly. Attempted to use an unsatisfying ending, but did not do so effectively. I did enjoy the format and characters especially.
Incredible at tension building, engaging the reader, building a world on this freaky isolated Midwest island - I was disappointed bc I was waiting for a big reveal or twist, which never happened, it’s all slow reveals that are accurate (no twists) - still a very fun read!
I’m living in a place that is having a big 90s revival/moment/nostalgia….I don’t know what it is, but if I don’t hear Nirvana 72,000 times a day and see tweens dressed exactly like my freshman year university classmates am I even alive? My point, I feel way more 90s from day-to-day stuff than I did between these covers. I should have known, when I sampled some chapters months ago and never thought about the book again, to not go back to the island..but here we are. My problems, not horror, not scary, reads like YA. The cover and premise are amazing, and it feels like maybe the author had a good pitch, got a great start and then didn’t know what to do with the middle and end once it came time to deliver. Or rather knew, but not quite how to pull it off.
i owe this novel another read. i read it while awaiting the release of jeff vandermeer’s absolution and feel like i can’t remember anything about it except for one scene in the exposition that genuinely scared me. might come back!
When his sister Willow mysteriously disappears after going to an isolated island to find out how the place was connected to her deceased son, Harper quickly realizes that something about the island isn't right. The residents are cagey and secretive and there's something sinister that comes out at night. Harper is determined to find out what happened to his sister, even if it means his own safety is at risk.
This was an enjoyable enough read. It mostly alternates between Harper's POV and Willow's POV with some chapters from the POV of one of the island's residents, high school basketball star Lily. It read a little bit young to me and wasn't quite as spooky as I'd hoped, but it was an otherwise solid story.
(ETA Sep 2023: Okay, I read this for the first time when I was on a plane and just did a re-read because I felt like it needed a second look and I might have just been in a bad mood because I hate planes. Second time around, I really enjoyed this! It's a fairly straightforward, but interesting commentary on grief that includes creepy monsters and a haunted island. Definitely recommend, solid 4-4.5).
You would like this book if you like mildly spooky mysteries!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC; this is an honest review :)
This was an enjoyable enough read. It mostly alternates between Harper's POV and Willow's POV with some chapters from the POV of one of the island's residents, high school basketball star Lily. It read a little bit young to me and wasn't quite as spooky as I'd hoped, but it was an otherwise solid story.
(ETA Sep 2023: Okay, I read this for the first time when I was on a plane and just did a re-read because I felt like it needed a second look and I might have just been in a bad mood because I hate planes. Second time around, I really enjoyed this! It's a fairly straightforward, but interesting commentary on grief that includes creepy monsters and a haunted island. Definitely recommend, solid 4-4.5).
You would like this book if you like mildly spooky mysteries!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC; this is an honest review :)
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
A really cool and interesting premise, and for about 80% of the book's duration, it's spooky and mysterious. Really enjoyed this part of the book, but as often happens, the ending is a bit of a letdown.
3.5 ⭐️
So… WHY was it written on her sons floor again?? I’m not sure I caught all the nuances via audiobook but I felt left with some lingering questions. Interesting loopholes to present in the plot but dont bother if you dont plan to develop - could’ve just been me though. Overall plot was good.
So… WHY was it written on her sons floor again?? I’m not sure I caught all the nuances via audiobook but I felt left with some lingering questions. Interesting loopholes to present in the plot but dont bother if you dont plan to develop - could’ve just been me though. Overall plot was good.