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eeviee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I tried to like this book but it gave me such Delphi by Claire Pollard vibes in a setting that was supposed to be interesting but turned stale. fast.
the premise: think midsommar and the wicker man. all great concepts for a book, and it did start off well. i see how some enjoyed this, but it really wasn't for me.
the romance came out of nowhere. the villain was a convenient plot device picked out of a sockhat. the main character is not very bright. i normally enjoy characters of this sort, they're never boring! but oh god Nina managed to make bad decisions and still be predictable. props to the author though, because I still managed to finish this in one sitting.
Spoiler-ish thoughts below. Without revealing the main "twist(?)" :
not even sure what the book wanted to be. i cant recommed it as horror. it wasn’t creepy enough for that. not gore either. a thriller? perhaps? it would have were it not completely overshadowed by an unconvincing enemies-to-lovers subplot that jumps right in with no preamble. overall this is about a woman who contradicts herself at every given moment and has the worst case of savior complex, so much so that she justifies cheating as giving in to the inhibitions of the land of Lute. gurl just say you’re horny and go. at one point she has a sudden realization that she’s actually a Mom and has Children 80% into the book. but she only registers this when her tongue is halfway through her neighbor’s throat as they make out while people are DYING. yes the husband is conveniently going insane at this point so she justifies this as a momentary lapse of judgement, like all of her choices in the book. and no, she never gets the blame in the end. everyone loves her of course (but not her, she hates herself because she’s pitiful, etc, insert mom trauma plot that gets abandoned in favor of hot brooding widow neighbor)
all the self-flagellation and for what? to get into single neighbor’s pants. that’s it. that’s the plot. the ponies were smarter, they tried to kill her but the plot armor prevailed.
I do look foward to this author's other works. Despite my dislike, I still wanted to know how it would end. All of my gripes are more on personal preference than a flaw in the author's part.
the premise: think midsommar and the wicker man. all great concepts for a book, and it did start off well. i see how some enjoyed this, but it really wasn't for me.
the romance came out of nowhere. the villain was a convenient plot device picked out of a sockhat. the main character is not very bright. i normally enjoy characters of this sort, they're never boring! but oh god Nina managed to make bad decisions and still be predictable. props to the author though, because I still managed to finish this in one sitting.
Spoiler-ish thoughts below. Without revealing the main "twist(?)" :
not even sure what the book wanted to be. i cant recommed it as horror. it wasn’t creepy enough for that. not gore either. a thriller? perhaps? it would have were it not completely overshadowed by an unconvincing enemies-to-lovers subplot that jumps right in with no preamble. overall this is about a woman who contradicts herself at every given moment and has the worst case of savior complex, so much so that she justifies cheating as giving in to the inhibitions of the land of Lute. gurl just say you’re horny and go. at one point she has a sudden realization that she’s actually a Mom and has Children 80% into the book. but she only registers this when her tongue is halfway through her neighbor’s throat as they make out while people are DYING. yes the husband is conveniently going insane at this point so she justifies this as a momentary lapse of judgement, like all of her choices in the book. and no, she never gets the blame in the end. everyone loves her of course (but not her, she hates herself because she’s pitiful, etc, insert mom trauma plot that gets abandoned in favor of hot brooding widow neighbor)
all the self-flagellation and for what? to get into single neighbor’s pants. that’s it. that’s the plot. the ponies were smarter, they tried to kill her but the plot armor prevailed.
I do look foward to this author's other works. Despite my dislike, I still wanted to know how it would end. All of my gripes are more on personal preference than a flaw in the author's part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
bookishbutch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Cursing, Blood, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Gore
Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm and Suicide
grimdark_dad's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Cancer, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, War, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
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