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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
So I had heard from someone somewhere mention this was a sleeping beauty retelling. This is far from a sleeping beauty retelling LOL. This was soooo sooo sooo good and the creepy factor was just as satisfying as home before dark by riley sager. I think I honestly have a new favorite genre and its shockingly horror and paranormal thrillers lol. Who would have thought!?! But I loved the characters and loved the build in this one and I'm so so so glad I own a copy of this because I can see myself rereading this in the long future. If i could give 10 stars i would. it was really that good.
Editing my review to say I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book and to point out that this story carried itself without a romance subplot and I appreciate that in a story.
Ya know, I really enjoyed this. But, the ending has left me wanting more. Though I believe that to be intentional so maybe that’s ok. It was certainly creepy & interesting! Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a spooky read with nice autumn atmospheric vibes.
Ya know, I really enjoyed this. But, the ending has left me wanting more. Though I believe that to be intentional so maybe that’s ok. It was certainly creepy & interesting! Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a spooky read with nice autumn atmospheric vibes.
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
giving this book a hearty meh. it was fine. quick to read, conversational tone, but pretty slow pacing. i predicted several of the reveals, but the ending really surprised me - but also left me feeling hollow. like, “huh. okay. guess it’s over now. didn’t expect that. moving on.” none of the characters really compelled or gripped me either. not bad, not good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.5 Stars
Generally don't think YA horror is super effective, but this was one of the most effective I've read yet. For fans that enjoyed the mystery of Rory Power's BURN OUR BODIES DOWN, the protagonists of books like SADIE by Courtney Summers and THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES by Mindy McGinnis, or just the general vibe of Gillian Flynn's SHARP OBJECTS but age-appropriate for an older teen.
The story begins with Jane and her mother, Ruth, leaving sun-soaked California for the bitter cold of Maine after Greer (husband, father, and general impulse-control of the family) dies suddenly. They end up in Ruth's family home, which has been abandoned since Jane's grandmother passed away; Ruth has never been back since she left two decades ago, and Jane has never set foot in her mother's home town. As with all large, creepy houses, strange and inexplicable things begin to happen as dark family secrets slowly get unravelled.
Pros:
- The creepy house is very creepy. I will say that Leno has a very good instinct for writing dread, which absolutely works in her favor when she leans into the horror aspect of this story.
- Jane is such an unlikeable girl and I love that for her. I am always saying that there should be more unlikeable girls—and unlikeable in a not pretty or endearing way—in YA fiction. She is petty, easily angered, kind of standoffish; honestly one of the most believable teenagers I've read in a long while.
- Did I mention creepy house? Well, there are also creepy children.
Cons: To be honest, these are mostly personal pet peeves that other people might not care about but kept me from giving this a 4 star rating.
- The flirting is so cringy... I guess it's believably cringy? I don't know, it wouldn't kill authors to just not have a love interest.
- Leno has a tendency to overemphasize things that she has already made a point of. Whether it's repeating certain phrases, or stating someone's quirks again and again and again. It gets a little bit tiring and I sometimes glazed over it. I felt like if her editor had just cut out those parts, it would take off at least a third of the page count.
- The repetitiveness also had the effect of distancing me from Jane's emotions at times. We kept getting the same phrases and it never felt like her character got much development; her grief was present, but it was flat, which made me less interested overall in her as a character although I still think she counts as a pro of this book.
- A personal thing, but there is something about Leno's writing that I just don't get on with even though I love her ideas. There is always something a little bit off about her pacing for me—its a slow build, which I don't mind and even prefer, but it feels drawn out for no reason for at least half the book. However, I did think the pay off at the end was so much better than the only other book I read from her, which was [b:You Must Not Miss|38446644|You Must Not Miss|Katrina Leno|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533654006l/38446644._SY75_.jpg|60073699], and she has the potential to become a favorite if only she just pushes her stories just a little bit more to the side of horror. I can tell she wants to.
Mixed feelings on this, but I would definitely pick up another Katrina Leno book if she writes another horror.
Generally don't think YA horror is super effective, but this was one of the most effective I've read yet. For fans that enjoyed the mystery of Rory Power's BURN OUR BODIES DOWN, the protagonists of books like SADIE by Courtney Summers and THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES by Mindy McGinnis, or just the general vibe of Gillian Flynn's SHARP OBJECTS but age-appropriate for an older teen.
The story begins with Jane and her mother, Ruth, leaving sun-soaked California for the bitter cold of Maine after Greer (husband, father, and general impulse-control of the family) dies suddenly. They end up in Ruth's family home, which has been abandoned since Jane's grandmother passed away; Ruth has never been back since she left two decades ago, and Jane has never set foot in her mother's home town. As with all large, creepy houses, strange and inexplicable things begin to happen as dark family secrets slowly get unravelled.
Pros:
- The creepy house is very creepy. I will say that Leno has a very good instinct for writing dread, which absolutely works in her favor when she leans into the horror aspect of this story.
- Jane is such an unlikeable girl and I love that for her. I am always saying that there should be more unlikeable girls—and unlikeable in a not pretty or endearing way—in YA fiction. She is petty, easily angered, kind of standoffish; honestly one of the most believable teenagers I've read in a long while.
- Did I mention creepy house? Well, there are also creepy children.
Cons: To be honest, these are mostly personal pet peeves that other people might not care about but kept me from giving this a 4 star rating.
- The flirting is so cringy... I guess it's believably cringy? I don't know, it wouldn't kill authors to just not have a love interest.
- Leno has a tendency to overemphasize things that she has already made a point of. Whether it's repeating certain phrases, or stating someone's quirks again and again and again. It gets a little bit tiring and I sometimes glazed over it. I felt like if her editor had just cut out those parts, it would take off at least a third of the page count.
- The repetitiveness also had the effect of distancing me from Jane's emotions at times. We kept getting the same phrases and it never felt like her character got much development; her grief was present, but it was flat, which made me less interested overall in her as a character although I still think she counts as a pro of this book.
- A personal thing, but there is something about Leno's writing that I just don't get on with even though I love her ideas. There is always something a little bit off about her pacing for me—its a slow build, which I don't mind and even prefer, but it feels drawn out for no reason for at least half the book. However, I did think the pay off at the end was so much better than the only other book I read from her, which was [b:You Must Not Miss|38446644|You Must Not Miss|Katrina Leno|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533654006l/38446644._SY75_.jpg|60073699], and she has the potential to become a favorite if only she just pushes her stories just a little bit more to the side of horror. I can tell she wants to.
Mixed feelings on this, but I would definitely pick up another Katrina Leno book if she writes another horror.
Not scary and didn’t realize it was young adult. Too young for me.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Since I'm a wimp I was easily scared by the stuff happening in the book (especially the text messages and attempted video calls). The reveals and climax felt a little rushed, and I don't feel like we learned everything, but I liked the ambiguous ending. The cover is also gorgeous and creeped me out a little lol
2.5, really.
This was a fun, creepy book, and I enjoyed reading something a bit outside my wheelhouse... at least up until the last page. I get what the author was trying to say with the ending, exploring themes of grief and mental illness in the framework of a horror story, but I was ultimately disappointed.
This was a fun, creepy book, and I enjoyed reading something a bit outside my wheelhouse... at least up until the last page. I get what the author was trying to say with the ending, exploring themes of grief and mental illness in the framework of a horror story, but I was ultimately disappointed.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes