Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
"They only come when it snows."
Creature features can be hit or miss with me. I really love some, and am not crazy about the rest, so take my review with a grain of salt. I think the setup of The Shuddering was intriguing, but I had a tough time connecting to the execution of the story.
I think The Shuddering may have worked better as a novella for me - there was so much whining and banter, and there was less focus on the creatures than I expected. The creature moments were definitely promising, but it wasn't enough to thoroughly hold my attention through the rest of the book. There's a serious insta-love plotline, and it was hard to take seriously. It felt much younger than the other Ahlborn books I've read - this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting.
Even though I wasn't crazy about the plot, Ania Ahlborn still makes a story flow well. Everything worked out with the alternating storylines, and the story moved along smoothly. That's really what made this a 3⭐ instead of a 2⭐ for me.
I do want to say that the intro to this book was so good, and I wish I would have felt that intensity through the rest of the story. The introduction characters were more intriguing than the ones the book was actually about.
I thought the ending was okay, but I just feel like some of the horror was missing. I may have felt differently if I was attached to any of the characters since we spent so much time with them, but it didn't work for me.
Creature features can be hit or miss with me. I really love some, and am not crazy about the rest, so take my review with a grain of salt. I think the setup of The Shuddering was intriguing, but I had a tough time connecting to the execution of the story.
I think The Shuddering may have worked better as a novella for me - there was so much whining and banter, and there was less focus on the creatures than I expected. The creature moments were definitely promising, but it wasn't enough to thoroughly hold my attention through the rest of the book. There's a serious insta-love plotline, and it was hard to take seriously. It felt much younger than the other Ahlborn books I've read - this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was expecting.
Even though I wasn't crazy about the plot, Ania Ahlborn still makes a story flow well. Everything worked out with the alternating storylines, and the story moved along smoothly. That's really what made this a 3⭐ instead of a 2⭐ for me.
I do want to say that the intro to this book was so good, and I wish I would have felt that intensity through the rest of the story. The introduction characters were more intriguing than the ones the book was actually about.
I thought the ending was okay, but I just feel like some of the horror was missing. I may have felt differently if I was attached to any of the characters since we spent so much time with them, but it didn't work for me.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
I thought this book was absolutely brilliant, Ania had me routing for all the twisted intertwined relationships and they way she destroyed all my hope had me in a chokehold and the ending!!! I can’t decide if I’m upset or if it’s brilliant
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I need to preface this by saying that that's how you write an ending!!! GREAT ENDING!!! Besides for the ending I really like the concept and the way these creatures are still somewhat of a mystery at the end. Also Ahlborn did a great job at depicting grief in a time of survival especially in the character Sawyer. My only minor gripe is I wish there were more scenes of the creatures stalking because it seemed whenever they were shown it was in a battle I wanted more background shadows. However this is a great read and I should have saved it for winter.
Made me entirely too connected to characters i spent only two pages with
Loved the book so much! Was a little slow at times which is not favorite, but I loved the story overall! The isolated cabin, snowstorm and cryptid monsters… are all my favorite things
4 stars
Formulaic monster horror but crafted with stimulating precision, The Shuddering shines when it comes to its chase sequence and kill, packing a brutal punch and gory details as one would expect from an over-the-top monster movie. Characters are unapologetically stereotypical (there's a jock, an emo guy, a 'good' girl, a 'naughty' girl, and an outcast), which are overall tolerable and not interfering with the book's action, except a few half-hearted attempts at deepening interpersonal conflict and character growth — while not failing completely, are very corny, unrealistic, and definitely earned an eyeroll or two from me. But as a whole, if you are looking for simple, straightforward monster-killing-human thrills, The Shuddering is a very decent option. (p.s. the audiobook is really good as well!)
Formulaic monster horror but crafted with stimulating precision, The Shuddering shines when it comes to its chase sequence and kill, packing a brutal punch and gory details as one would expect from an over-the-top monster movie. Characters are unapologetically stereotypical (there's a jock, an emo guy, a 'good' girl, a 'naughty' girl, and an outcast), which are overall tolerable and not interfering with the book's action, except a few half-hearted attempts at deepening interpersonal conflict and character growth — while not failing completely, are very corny, unrealistic, and definitely earned an eyeroll or two from me. But as a whole, if you are looking for simple, straightforward monster-killing-human thrills, The Shuddering is a very decent option. (p.s. the audiobook is really good as well!)
This was okay, it just didn't feel especially fresh and honestly would have worked better in a shorter format. There were a handful of good scares, but generally the monsters weren't that interesting, the characters were bland and felt really trope-y. Also, the woodsman story arc didn't feel like it belonged with the main arc.
I'd recommend picking up another of Ahlborn's books-- she seems to shine more when dealing with things like hauntings and ghosts than monsters in the woods.
I'd recommend picking up another of Ahlborn's books-- she seems to shine more when dealing with things like hauntings and ghosts than monsters in the woods.