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phantomgecko's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
It was good.
idk, it tackled some interesting ideas in a satisfactory way. The twists were good. The characterization was good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
madelynowil's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Really good book. But I worry about how anti-trans individuals might handle ending, especially with the nod to JK Rowling… that rubbed me the wrong way a bit. Otherwise, this was great. I was genuinely scared many times while reading this and the writing is well-done. Definitely would recommend, as long as you don’t think too hard about the societal commentary side of things, I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
halfass_reviewer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved this book. It started off strong. The author did an amazing job of introducing us to Mallory and the kind of person she was while using drugs and the kind of person she became once she got sober. I rooted for Mallory the entire story and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. The author also did an amazing job of introducing us to the Maxwell's and their dynamic without giving too much away about who they are. It was towards the middle of the book (I'd say around 40-60% of the book) it felt like the story was dragging. I felt like I was reading the same thing constantly and that the author was trying to make sure readers remember certain facts or events within the story that it seemed redundant. Yet, I still pushed through to the end of the book and man am I glad for it. That ending was phenomenal and honestly it made the mundane middle part really worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
amarainfaeland's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
meg1241's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I couldn't put this book down! Great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
2.5
Finished reading: October 29th 2024
"When you eliminate the impossible, all that remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
I had a fantastic time reading this author's debut back when I read it in 2017, and I've been looking forward to read more of his writing ever since. I'm still not sure why it took me over two years to finally get to his second book Hidden Pictures... The blurb made it sound like a fitting read for Halloween month, and it was the perfect excuse to finally pick it up. Things started out well enough and I was really enjoying my time with this book despite some red flags. Sadly, the plot made a drastic turn around the 70-80% mark that completely ruined the story for me. Not only were the twists absolutely ridiculous, but they also left me with a bad taste in my mouth and the main gender-related twist was borderline offensive. Transphobia, racism, discrimination against atheists, fatphobia... This story seemed to have a particular right-wing political agenda, and this not only made me dislike certain characters but also ruined the reading experience for me. It's such a shame, because the premise itself is fantastic and I can't deny that I was really enjoying myself during most of the book despite the previously mentioned red flags present throughout the story. I also loved the illustrations, which really complemented the plot... I gave Hidden Pictures an extra star for them, but the rest pretty much ended in a trainwreck. I do hope his newest story has less of a political angle, because I will probably have to give up his writing otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lulibooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infertility, Racism, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
dcnireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
at first i was a bit skeptical about the writing style. it didnt really feel like i was reading a novel, it just felt like i was reading someone's diary, or a simple, straight-to-the-point recollection of a tense, complicated, scary story. i thought it felt boring and detrimental to the vibe of the whole book considering what genre it falls under, but i was still invested and im a simple reader, so anything quick and steady paced and easy to read was enough for me. but when i got to the end, i went from being only midly satisfied to genuinely impressed.
the epilogue revealing that it was mallory writing the whole story from her own point of view as a way to help flora understand what happened to her was a clever, clever move. that one line about mallory mentioning that she found it hard to write everything until sofia advised her to just write like herself instead of trying to write like an experienced author? honestly genius. whether or not it was done on purpose to disguise the basic writing and narration style, it still worked for me. this was initally looking like a good 4-4.5 read, but to be honest that onemove really impressed me. so did that teddy/flora plot twist and red herring that is annie barrett's ghost story. in conclusion, i think this is worthy of being a good ole 5 star read after all.
the epilogue revealing that it was mallory writing the whole story from her own point of view as a way to help flora understand what happened to her was a clever, clever move. that one line about mallory mentioning that she found it hard to write everything until sofia advised her to just write like herself instead of trying to write like an experienced author? honestly genius. whether or not it was done on purpose to disguise the basic writing and narration style, it still worked for me. this was initally looking like a good 4-4.5 read, but to be honest that onemove really impressed me. so did that teddy/flora plot twist and red herring that is annie barrett's ghost story. in conclusion, i think this is worthy of being a good ole 5 star read after all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use and Grief
steimerr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have been fluctuating between and 3/4 star rating for this book as I feel the rating depends on what you're looking for...
Being listed under the Horror genre, I was expecting a lot more than I was given. I have read plenty of other books that touch on the same "horrific" topics that are not considered to be under the horror genre. Some of which I think included much more graphic details than this so called horror novel. There was a lot of telling and not enough showing in this book (aside from the literal illustrations of course). I would certainly not consider this book a 4 star horror novel. That being said it wasn't a bad book by any means. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the story and how it was written, I found it easy to read and retain. The illustrations were a great addition and made it a quick read. There were a couple of unpredictable twists and many reaction provoking moments. I was satisfied with how the story unfolded and concluded but I found that the ending could have used some more detail and thought it felt a little rushed. The epilogue was great though!
Overall, this was a 4 star book for me because I actually did really enjoy reading it. It's a book I think many readers can enjoy, an engaging paranormal mystery.
But I would most definitely not recommend it as a horror novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
brookey8888's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was good, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be. I didn’t find it creepy at all. which is a bummer. I really did like the art work included and thought that was a unique idea. I just don’t think the plot twist was well done because there’s no way you could have guessed a lot of that. Especially the Ted just being so absolutely in love with Mallory? Like that was stupid. Also I don’t know the trans situation just left a bad taste in my mouth. Also the ending? Idk I just didn’t love that. As for the ghost, I just wanted more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting