Scan barcode
exorcismofemilyreed's review against another edition
3.0
"Trailers filled with secrets, imbued with carnivalesque mythology---the mystery of it all."
2.5⭐
Dark Carnival has a lot of interesting storylines to offer - there's a cult, a carnival, small-town partying, mysteries, and more. Although it had a lot of elements I was intrigued by, unfortunately, I had a tough time connecting to this story.
My biggest issue was that so much of the book was taken up by background information, and a lot of it felt unnecessary. The reader is given information about characters as soon as you're introduced to them, and it was an odd format since you're supposed to care about the characters before you know them. I found myself skimming more than I would have liked. I was very interested in the main story, but it felt so bogged down by unnecessary details.
I was very interested in seeing what was going to happen, but things got more convoluted as the story went on. It felt like there ended up being too many threads in the story. My attention was held well enough to keep from DNFing, but not enough to be truly invested.
2.5⭐
Dark Carnival has a lot of interesting storylines to offer - there's a cult, a carnival, small-town partying, mysteries, and more. Although it had a lot of elements I was intrigued by, unfortunately, I had a tough time connecting to this story.
My biggest issue was that so much of the book was taken up by background information, and a lot of it felt unnecessary. The reader is given information about characters as soon as you're introduced to them, and it was an odd format since you're supposed to care about the characters before you know them. I found myself skimming more than I would have liked. I was very interested in the main story, but it felt so bogged down by unnecessary details.
I was very interested in seeing what was going to happen, but things got more convoluted as the story went on. It felt like there ended up being too many threads in the story. My attention was held well enough to keep from DNFing, but not enough to be truly invested.
tracyreads's review
3.0
2.5 rounded to 3 for GR and Amazon.
“Conjunction was the kind of place you glanced at from the corner of your eye and promptly forgot, like a shape at the edge of your vision that turned out to be nothing at all. It was a forgettable and forgotten place, full of people only wanting to forget” – Joanna Parypinski, Dark Carnival
The synopsis of this book is so amazing. I buddy read this with my friend Emily; it was great to have another reader to chat to while reading. The part that intrigued me the most was the promise of “a bloodthirsty sheriff, a collection of missing teenagers, and a death-worshipping cult led by a strange girl intent on summoning an ancient being down from the stars.” Yes. Please. Small town horror is one of my favorite sub genres.
Parypinski writes well. I found myself turning the pages quickly and in one sitting I was already halfway through. Then I stepped away, and for some reason, I wasn’t driven to immediately get back to it. I had a hard time keeping it all straight because there were so many different threads introduced by the halfway point. Also, there are parts that aren’t necessarily overwritten, but they do detract from the forward movement of the book. By the time I got to the end, I was left disappointed.
I loved how the book started. I just wish the rest was the same. Other readers may have a different experience than I did, these are just my thoughts. As always. I would like to read more from Parypinski; perhaps some shorter fiction would work for me. I dig where her imagination leads her.
“Conjunction was the kind of place you glanced at from the corner of your eye and promptly forgot, like a shape at the edge of your vision that turned out to be nothing at all. It was a forgettable and forgotten place, full of people only wanting to forget” – Joanna Parypinski, Dark Carnival
The synopsis of this book is so amazing. I buddy read this with my friend Emily; it was great to have another reader to chat to while reading. The part that intrigued me the most was the promise of “a bloodthirsty sheriff, a collection of missing teenagers, and a death-worshipping cult led by a strange girl intent on summoning an ancient being down from the stars.” Yes. Please. Small town horror is one of my favorite sub genres.
Parypinski writes well. I found myself turning the pages quickly and in one sitting I was already halfway through. Then I stepped away, and for some reason, I wasn’t driven to immediately get back to it. I had a hard time keeping it all straight because there were so many different threads introduced by the halfway point. Also, there are parts that aren’t necessarily overwritten, but they do detract from the forward movement of the book. By the time I got to the end, I was left disappointed.
I loved how the book started. I just wish the rest was the same. Other readers may have a different experience than I did, these are just my thoughts. As always. I would like to read more from Parypinski; perhaps some shorter fiction would work for me. I dig where her imagination leads her.
More...