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jellybean_gene's review
2.0
This sucked. It was a lot of passive misogyny (white knighting, 'defending our women', and performative masculinity). It felt like if my weird uncle wanted to tell me a scary story but also needed to make sure I know he likes sex. It was such a weird experience of a book. Many of the sex scenes were downright clinical, while others were weirdly flawed about how sex works. Just...all of it sucked
pbanditp's review
4.0
There is something in the woods. Music is heard and a couple women have disappeared. Can these occurrences be related to the husband that threw his wife out of the attic window?
It started with just some over the top sexual situations and it quite literally turned me off.
It started with just some over the top sexual situations and it quite literally turned me off.
thaydra's review
3.0
This was the first book I ever read by Mr. Keene, and to be honest I really did not like it. Looking back, I think I was just in the wrong mindset when I received it. Many months later, I found a bunch of his books in a discounted bin at a local store, and picked them up. He is now one of my new favorite writers, and I plan to go back to this one and reread it to see if I have changed my mind about it. =)
thebiblioholic's review
5.0
Really enjoyed this book. Never read Keene before looking forward to reading more.
art_cart_ron's review
4.0
The book's biggest achievements are Keene's clever disarming of predictable tropes, pacing, and some really keen scenes set well. He also closes better than a lot of other authors in the genre. It manages to be a page-turner despite itself... I don't quite know how it worked. Self aware. Good trick. Very little happens in the first 100 pages - aside from an event with a one(ish) page description in the first or second chapter, and character development (did the author mention that the character is an author, with an author life, author thoughts, and author quasi-celebrity status?). I live in the region that the book takes place, which made it more fun and boosted my rating from 3 to 3.5(rounded up to 4).
The satyr kinky parts are pretty well done - although there is an indisputable thread of stereotyping and caricaturizing of male insecurities and playing off of the fear of "the other" being more sexually appealing, what with his bigger penis and swarthy earthy primacy and all. Rather than reading as insulting, it works here, though - it's rather the point of the thing. Keene presents loving relationships that counter the way he dances on the edge of presenting women as props and victims. One last thing, there's a limit to how much satyr pre-cum I think the average reader wants exposure to.
I'm going to read the sequel(s?). Better than I thought it would be!
The satyr kinky parts are pretty well done - although there is an indisputable thread of stereotyping and caricaturizing of male insecurities and playing off of the fear of "the other" being more sexually appealing, what with his bigger penis and swarthy earthy primacy and all. Rather than reading as insulting, it works here, though - it's rather the point of the thing. Keene presents loving relationships that counter the way he dances on the edge of presenting women as props and victims. One last thing, there's a limit to how much satyr pre-cum I think the average reader wants exposure to.
I'm going to read the sequel(s?). Better than I thought it would be!
tolendante's review
3.0
Brutal and effective bit of hardcore horror. Certainly, this book isn't for everyone, but fun if you have the stomach for it.
gatun's review
4.0
I enjoyed Dark Hollow but not quite as much as Ghoul. At the risk of sounding profoundly disturbed, I found the plot of Ghoul more believable than Dark Hollow. I did not connect to the characters in Dark Hollow as well as I did Ghoul. It was still a good read that I would recommend for all horror fans.
paperbackstash's review
4.0
Very good and gripping, hard to put down. Genuinely disturbing - a theme that could have been cheesy but wasn't. Depressing losses but I liked the bond between the friends, the ambience of the woods and legend. Keene writes great horror with a talented hand. Full review to come.