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beth_zovko's review against another edition
2.0
Really interesting premise, but very poorly executed. Tension was minimal, the characters were hollow, and the plot glacially paced. Even at 276 pages, it still felt too long.
Most of all, the writing was just plain terrible. Clumsy, CLUNKY 'dialogue' consisted of characters speaking in entire paragraphs, or using airy metaphors, and even (unintentionally) rhyming! You get the impression that passages originally meant for the 3rd-person narrative were simply cut and pasted as 'conversation.'
In some books a gripping plot and compelling characters can compensate for awkward dialogue, but not the case here. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the house comes through well, but it's not enough to hold the story by itself. Page long descriptions of a child's toys, but comparatively little on what the child is thinking. Repetitive flashbacks from the parents on life before and after their child's diagnosis with Asperger's. Characters range from unlikable, selfish adults to impossibly stoic ten year-olds.
In all, this was a fantasy book: is this boy able to conjure monsters simply by drawing them? But this central question is relegated to the background for most of the book, only to be quickly 'answered' at the end. The real fantasy here is that anyone can stay interested with the author's bland and bloviating characters and plot.
Most of all, the writing was just plain terrible. Clumsy, CLUNKY 'dialogue' consisted of characters speaking in entire paragraphs, or using airy metaphors, and even (unintentionally) rhyming! You get the impression that passages originally meant for the 3rd-person narrative were simply cut and pasted as 'conversation.'
In some books a gripping plot and compelling characters can compensate for awkward dialogue, but not the case here. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the house comes through well, but it's not enough to hold the story by itself. Page long descriptions of a child's toys, but comparatively little on what the child is thinking. Repetitive flashbacks from the parents on life before and after their child's diagnosis with Asperger's. Characters range from unlikable, selfish adults to impossibly stoic ten year-olds.
In all, this was a fantasy book: is this boy able to conjure monsters simply by drawing them? But this central question is relegated to the background for most of the book, only to be quickly 'answered' at the end. The real fantasy here is that anyone can stay interested with the author's bland and bloviating characters and plot.
kaceylaine's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
eklbooks's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
quetzi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jnjarnot's review against another edition
3.0
Great execution. A well written novel. Not my favorite genre but I am impressed by the depth created around the family and it’s daily musings, not to mention the dynamic of the family under stress. That being said, the book has a quick tempo but does not lack for detail. Leaves the reader with some haunting images...
rachxedge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
dale_in_va's review against another edition
4.0
One of those books that saying too much about it would ruin it. It feels sometimes like the book can’t decide what it wants to be, but I think it knows where it is going all the time. May even be worth reading a second time. So lets call it a psychological thriller definitely worth a read!
kayteeem's review against another edition
It took me a long time to get started on this one.
I loved all the detail and sense of place. I got a real sense of being in a beach town in the off-season.
The characters were well thought out, even if I didn't *like* them very much. The adults weren't reprehensible to the extent of, say "Gone Girl", but none of them were very happy people that I particularly wanted to spend much time with.
I did like the fantastic/creepy elements, and again, the author did a good job capturing the creepy factor.
Regarding the end of the book:
I loved all the detail and sense of place. I got a real sense of being in a beach town in the off-season.
The characters were well thought out, even if I didn't *like* them very much. The adults weren't reprehensible to the extent of, say "Gone Girl", but none of them were very happy people that I particularly wanted to spend much time with.
I did like the fantastic/creepy elements, and again, the author did a good job capturing the creepy factor.
Regarding the end of the book:
Spoiler
I did not expect the twist at the end, and in retrospect wished there had been a few more indications within the rest of the story, especially the parts from Nick's point of view. And the "monsters" didn't horrify me nearly as much as Holly's actions in the very last paragraph.redsilva95's review
1.0
O conceito do livro é bacana, mas o ritmo é muuuuuuuito arrastado e lento por ser muito descritivo. Poucos diálogos, muita descrição, e flashbacks. O final, que todos dizem ser surpreendente, tem uma baita reviravolta...mas eu previ essa revelação na metade da leitura. O principal ponto negativo pra mim? Se a história tem um ritmo lento os personagens tem que ser interessantes o suficiente pra me manter preso. Aqui não gostei de nenhum personagem. Ou eles eram um artifício barato pra solucionar algo mais fácil, ou eram burros demais (clichês de filmes de terror) que me irritavam. E certos aspectos da trama não foram bem desenrolados. Enfim, atmosfera boa, execução falha. Talvez se fosse um conto funcionaria melhor.
jinn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0