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bobbietinks's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
psionicsorceress's review against another edition
2.0
I unfortunately have to start this review off negatively. I borderline hated this book. I’m giving it two stars, but my frustration with it is trying to make me give it one star.
There were a couple of major problems that won’t let me like this book. The first one is the plot. When I read a story, I like for that story to be fed to me through hidden unveilings and discoveries that lets you know that something is afoot even though you might not know exactly what is going on. I like a plot that gives evenly and slowly but just enough to keep you interested until eventually all the pieces come together to form a bigger picture. None of that was done in this book. The pacing was slow, the plot was almost nonexistent for most of the book, and then about two-thirds of the way in everything kicked into gear. This pacing change was then followed by a few info dumps of really important information. It made the book feel clumpy like the author copied and pasted different parts of the plot together.
The other major problem I had with this book is the utter lack of emotional depth in the characters. At the start of the book the Keating family witnesses a major life changing event that causes Jackson Keating and each of his children to suffer their own versions of PTSD. Because of this, you would think that the reader would be enticed to have some sort of emotional attachment to this family. But, you don’t. There is a monster killing people violently, characters that were introduced with thoroughly explained histories and backgrounds. Normally, you would develop some kind of emotional attachment to these characters when they come close to death or even get killed by the monster. Tragically, I felt nothing. I even speed read through the end of the book just to find out who died and who lived. I really wanted to feel for those kids, but in the end, I just couldn’t muster up the energy to care. I regret not caring for Charlie and Chrissy the most. Charlie got tagged as the responsible one after their family tragedy although he suffered from near crippling anxiety. Chrissy was the horror book nerd that reminded me of myself. I loathed that I did not feel for them in their time of monster dodging. It’s such a tragedy.
So, yeah. I’m supposed to read another book by this author, but I just don’t know if I can.
mrsmollyh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sketchwaffles's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
tiff_bb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bobmetal's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
erikabra's review
4.0
4.2
A great horror book! We can see the influence of « IT » by King and Silent Hill wich was awesome to me. I highlighted a lot of good quotes. For a short book there is a deep development with a lot of characters. I love how we are not so horrified by the Monster but more of the effects it has on the people after the traumas.
A great horror book! We can see the influence of « IT » by King and Silent Hill wich was awesome to me. I highlighted a lot of good quotes. For a short book there is a deep development with a lot of characters. I love how we are not so horrified by the Monster but more of the effects it has on the people after the traumas.
craigmatthews87's review
5.0
The bar has well and truly been set high for my 2024 reads, having started off the year with a 5* book.
I recently read and enjoyed Bunker Dogs, as well as a couple of short stories, which had put Greenwood on my radar as a writer to watch out for. I felt like he had another level of storytelling in him, and the early ARC reviews of ...Block Island started to make me hope he'd reached it here. When more review copies became available I jumped at the chance to get one, but I did wonder if it could possibly live up to the early hype I was seeing constantly.
I'm happy to report that, for me, it definitely does. Maybe it even exceeds my hopes for it.
...Block Island drinks from that well that has been popularised by the 'elevated horror' genre of films, that seem so prevalent in recent years - trauma, grief, fractured and splintered branches on family trees. I'm personally a huge fan of it but I've read many books, watched many A24 productions that hit the same beats. It takes a special twist on the themes for a story to stand out, and Greenwood has more than accomplished that here.
I won't discuss the plot - many early reviewers have done so better than I ever could - except to say that it's essentially a creature feature, and one that is frequently chilling. The portrayals of the monsters are vivid, their actions and attacks so well described that they played out in my mind like a movie. Often in stories like these I find the more I know about the creatures the less frightening they are, which the author deftly avoids happening. Right up until the final chapters, their threat and fear-factor is never less than palpable.
It's also admirable how well the characterisation comes across. It's cliché to compare a large group of fleshed-out protagonists to King, but here Greenwood really does give me a similar vibe. Every family member, every friend, the people they encounter along the way, they all their own distinct personalities, their own speech. It's truly impressive, and is the primary reason my score tipped over to 5*.
If I had a complaint, it would be that the book could have been longer, and I still would have been hungry for more. I wanted to spend more time with the family of protagonists, to delve into the creature's lore, to learn more of the island itself. I can understand why this was left out, as it would have greatly impacted the pacing, but if there ends up being a short story - or even a second novel? - in the same world, I wouldn't hesitate to read it.
On A Clear Day, You Can See Block Island releases on the 10th of February, on ebook and to read for free via Kindle Unlimited, and if you've read this far then you know I highly recommend picking up a copy. Not only will I be keeping my own pre-order active, I'll be picking up a physical copy in the near future as well.
I recently read and enjoyed Bunker Dogs, as well as a couple of short stories, which had put Greenwood on my radar as a writer to watch out for. I felt like he had another level of storytelling in him, and the early ARC reviews of ...Block Island started to make me hope he'd reached it here. When more review copies became available I jumped at the chance to get one, but I did wonder if it could possibly live up to the early hype I was seeing constantly.
I'm happy to report that, for me, it definitely does. Maybe it even exceeds my hopes for it.
...Block Island drinks from that well that has been popularised by the 'elevated horror' genre of films, that seem so prevalent in recent years - trauma, grief, fractured and splintered branches on family trees. I'm personally a huge fan of it but I've read many books, watched many A24 productions that hit the same beats. It takes a special twist on the themes for a story to stand out, and Greenwood has more than accomplished that here.
I won't discuss the plot - many early reviewers have done so better than I ever could - except to say that it's essentially a creature feature, and one that is frequently chilling. The portrayals of the monsters are vivid, their actions and attacks so well described that they played out in my mind like a movie. Often in stories like these I find the more I know about the creatures the less frightening they are, which the author deftly avoids happening. Right up until the final chapters, their threat and fear-factor is never less than palpable.
It's also admirable how well the characterisation comes across. It's cliché to compare a large group of fleshed-out protagonists to King, but here Greenwood really does give me a similar vibe. Every family member, every friend, the people they encounter along the way, they all their own distinct personalities, their own speech. It's truly impressive, and is the primary reason my score tipped over to 5*.
If I had a complaint, it would be that the book could have been longer, and I still would have been hungry for more. I wanted to spend more time with the family of protagonists, to delve into the creature's lore, to learn more of the island itself. I can understand why this was left out, as it would have greatly impacted the pacing, but if there ends up being a short story - or even a second novel? - in the same world, I wouldn't hesitate to read it.
On A Clear Day, You Can See Block Island releases on the 10th of February, on ebook and to read for free via Kindle Unlimited, and if you've read this far then you know I highly recommend picking up a copy. Not only will I be keeping my own pre-order active, I'll be picking up a physical copy in the near future as well.
mlivings8's review
5.0
This was a great read, everything I have read from this author has been great so far. I enjoyed the family aspects of this story.