Scan barcode
xofillek's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stepriot's review against another edition
4.0
I do wish modern horror didn't spend quite so much time indulging in the narrator's self doubt.
rereader33's review against another edition
2.0
2023 March Reading Challenge
Prompt: read a book that starts w/ L, A, D, or Y
I'm not mad, just disappointed.
I felt like this was going to be "Final Destination w/ a folk horror twist," but it ended up just being a blisteringly fast killing spree featuring characters that are impossible to care about because they're introduced than immediately killed and/or are assholes, a love story shoehorned in (yeah I don't get it either) and a Hallmark movie ending that left me confused and deeply unsatisfied.
Read it if you want, its short with simple prose and fast pace, but there are better horror novels out their.
Prompt: read a book that starts w/ L, A, D, or Y
I'm not mad, just disappointed.
I felt like this was going to be "Final Destination w/ a folk horror twist," but it ended up just being a blisteringly fast killing spree featuring characters that are impossible to care about because they're introduced than immediately killed and/or are assholes, a love story shoehorned in (yeah I don't get it either) and a Hallmark movie ending that left me confused and deeply unsatisfied.
Read it if you want, its short with simple prose and fast pace, but there are better horror novels out their.
tashasreads's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
tundratemp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
winterreader40's review against another edition
4.25
On the island of Lute every seventh summer on what is known as The Day, seven people die in exchange an idyllic life for the next seven years, there's no way to tell who will be chosen or how they will die.
Nina is "new" to the island in the sense that this is her first Day and she's always thought it was a big joke but as the time approaches and the day arrives she finds that it is no laughing matter at all.
I was kind of annoyed by Nina at first but I wound up really enjoying this story for the Islanders, the shining ones, the island itself is a character as well and by the end I was even rooting for Nina. Though again this is a story that is listed under horror and I don't see why.
Nina is "new" to the island in the sense that this is her first Day and she's always thought it was a big joke but as the time approaches and the day arrives she finds that it is no laughing matter at all.
I was kind of annoyed by Nina at first but I wound up really enjoying this story for the Islanders, the shining ones, the island itself is a character as well and by the end I was even rooting for Nina. Though again this is a story that is listed under horror and I don't see why.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
#StoryGraph: fiction horror dark emotional tense medium-paced
288 pages | first published 2022
Description
Wicker Man meets Final Destination in Jennifer Thorne's atmospheric, unsettling folk horror novel about love, duty, and community.
On the idyllic island of Lute, every seventh summer, seven people die. No more, no less.
Lute and its inhabitants are blessed, year after year, with good weather, good health, and good fortune. They live a happy, superior life, untouched by the war that rages all around them. So it’s only fair that every seven years, on the day of the tithe, the island’s gift is honored.
Nina Treadway is new to The Day. A Florida girl by birth, she became a Lady through her marriage to Lord Treadway, whose family has long protected the island. Nina’s heard about The Day, of course. Heard about the horrific tragedies, the lives lost, but she doesn’t believe in it. It's all superstitious nonsense. Stories told to keep newcomers at bay and youngsters in line.
Then The Day begins. And it's a day of nightmares, of grief, of reckoning. But it is also a day of community. Of survival and strength. Of love, at its most pure and untamed. When The Day ends, Nina—and Lute—will never be the same.
288 pages | first published 2022
Description
Wicker Man meets Final Destination in Jennifer Thorne's atmospheric, unsettling folk horror novel about love, duty, and community.
On the idyllic island of Lute, every seventh summer, seven people die. No more, no less.
Lute and its inhabitants are blessed, year after year, with good weather, good health, and good fortune. They live a happy, superior life, untouched by the war that rages all around them. So it’s only fair that every seven years, on the day of the tithe, the island’s gift is honored.
Nina Treadway is new to The Day. A Florida girl by birth, she became a Lady through her marriage to Lord Treadway, whose family has long protected the island. Nina’s heard about The Day, of course. Heard about the horrific tragedies, the lives lost, but she doesn’t believe in it. It's all superstitious nonsense. Stories told to keep newcomers at bay and youngsters in line.
Then The Day begins. And it's a day of nightmares, of grief, of reckoning. But it is also a day of community. Of survival and strength. Of love, at its most pure and untamed. When The Day ends, Nina—and Lute—will never be the same.
vespurr's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
karenu's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25