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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
not generally a fan of possession horror anyway, but this one really didn't reinvent the wheel. emotional moments were good, enjoyed the ending. pov characters were hard to relate with except 1-2, and side characters were indistinguishable from each other.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Exactly what I want out of a horror novel: supernatural, gory, well paced, strong undercurrent of Catholic guilt
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
A truly cinematic story. Had me on the edge of my seat.
dark
tense
fast-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
I found Boys in the Valley to be overall quite enjoyable. It has a solid cast of main characters, as well as an intriguing premise. The setting is right up my alley, especially when it snowed and essentially trapped everyone within the orphanage. The turmoil amongst the boys, not knowing who to trust, was well done. Additionally, Fracassi's writing is the perfect balance of descriptive and straight to the point.
However, I just don't vibe withpossessions. I also don't really vibe with Peter being able to save Jonathan through Baptism . I think perhaps I'm just not the target audience for this type of story. Additionally, I did not enjoy the final act. I find the trope of fire taking out an entire building and burning it all to the ground to be overplayed. I did appreciate that it bookended Peter's story, but I found it quite unbelievable that they could survive that much smoke inhalation.
Finally, I really wish that more time spent with some of the side characters before the violence began. I found it hard to connect with any of them, even as they eitherturned evil or were killed. I'm not usually a proponent of lengthening novels, but I think that a few extra chapters dedicated to character development would have made this a stronger story.
However, I just don't vibe with
Finally, I really wish that more time spent with some of the side characters before the violence began. I found it hard to connect with any of them, even as they either
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
sad
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:
Yes