Scan barcode
kristianawithak's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great read. It’s mysterious, it’s satisfying, it’s engaging.
crloken's review against another edition
2.0
I read this about a week ago but never got around to reviewing it. I was much more efficient about this when I wasn't working.
Anyway, this is about Lola Nox, the daughter of famed horror director Nolan Nox, who is sent to live with her grandmother after her father is mysteriously stabbed. The two she's sent to was the location for Nox's more famous film, one which her mother starred in, and a town rumoured to be terrorized by an ancient monster. Plot and character wise this reminded me of Night Film: A Novel, except that this is from the perspective of the daughter not an investigator.
At first I was happy to see the Rachel Amber or Lily Kane character (or, I suppose, Laura Palmer, except that I never saw Twin Peaks) as the lead rather than as a character we only get to know through the impressions of others. The problem is that that's not really true since Lola's mother swiftly becomes the Laura Palmer of this story.
Lola soon meets twin siblings who's names I can't recall who tell her about the monster and the customs of the town. Soon she begins to fall for the brother (I blame Burn Our Bodies Down for my initial assumption that the sister was the love interest). Everything of course comes to head eventually as she rushes to discover why her mother abandoned her and her father.
It's a breezy short book that ultimately makes the same mistake as Darcy Coates' The Hunted in that both books assume that a naturalistic explanation is more believable than a supernatural one and in both cases the answers raise more questions than a more supernatural ending would. This book also suffers from comparison to the aforementioned similar works. It lacks the poetic melancholy of the prose of Night Film, the charming sincerity of Life is Strange and the wit of Veronica Mars (Again, never seen Twin Peaks but I'm sure it lacks something that that does well too.).
For a first effort it's perfectly fine, but far from good enough which is too bad since I was quite excited by it at first.
Addendum: Looking at the author's bio I see that this is definitely not a first effort. I guess it just read like one. In that case there's less of an excuse for how sloppy and unsatisfying this ultimately was.
Anyway, this is about Lola Nox, the daughter of famed horror director Nolan Nox, who is sent to live with her grandmother after her father is mysteriously stabbed. The two she's sent to was the location for Nox's more famous film, one which her mother starred in, and a town rumoured to be terrorized by an ancient monster. Plot and character wise this reminded me of Night Film: A Novel, except that this is from the perspective of the daughter not an investigator.
At first I was happy to see the Rachel Amber or Lily Kane character (or, I suppose, Laura Palmer, except that I never saw Twin Peaks) as the lead rather than as a character we only get to know through the impressions of others. The problem is that that's not really true since Lola's mother swiftly becomes the Laura Palmer of this story.
Lola soon meets twin siblings who's names I can't recall who tell her about the monster and the customs of the town. Soon she begins to fall for the brother (I blame Burn Our Bodies Down for my initial assumption that the sister was the love interest). Everything of course comes to head eventually as she rushes to discover why her mother abandoned her and her father.
It's a breezy short book that ultimately makes the same mistake as Darcy Coates' The Hunted in that both books assume that a naturalistic explanation is more believable than a supernatural one and in both cases the answers raise more questions than a more supernatural ending would. This book also suffers from comparison to the aforementioned similar works. It lacks the poetic melancholy of the prose of Night Film, the charming sincerity of Life is Strange and the wit of Veronica Mars (Again, never seen Twin Peaks but I'm sure it lacks something that that does well too.).
For a first effort it's perfectly fine, but far from good enough which is too bad since I was quite excited by it at first.
Addendum: Looking at the author's bio I see that this is definitely not a first effort. I guess it just read like one. In that case there's less of an excuse for how sloppy and unsatisfying this ultimately was.
samarie04's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
b00kh0arder's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant! Full review to come for The Wales Arts Review.
exorcismemily's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! Harrow Lake is mysterious and intriguing, and it has a couple delightfully spooky parts and storylines. There's a lot going on in this book, and while not everything was as clear cut as I had hoped, I still had a blast reading it.
My one annoyance was that the main character always says that everything is "Optimal". It's always capitalized, and it's CONSTANT. It was frustrating after a while, but I pretty much loved everything else.
You can always grab my attention with a book that has something to do with a horror movie - I think fans of The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman may also be into Harrow Lake. Definitely add this one to your TBR!
CW - sexual harassment, suicide, physical & sexual abuse
My one annoyance was that the main character always says that everything is "Optimal". It's always capitalized, and it's CONSTANT. It was frustrating after a while, but I pretty much loved everything else.
You can always grab my attention with a book that has something to do with a horror movie - I think fans of The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman may also be into Harrow Lake. Definitely add this one to your TBR!
CW - sexual harassment, suicide, physical & sexual abuse
bkmckown's review against another edition
4.0
This book had plenty of creepy scenes but the true horror was slightly predictable. I liked the way the author approached the subject matter and the presentation was unique, though. Great ending!!
readwithchloev's review against another edition
3.0
I feel so...confused? I’ll break my feelings down.
Positives:
1. The intrigue and the suspense of this book, especially in the first 100 pages, was insane. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, I felt like I was part of the story. It had the proper creepy small town with a ton of secrets vibe.
2. Cora. Cora was the ONLY good character in this book in my opinion and I am SO GLAD ABOUT THE ENDING. What a badass!! She was the only one with any substance that I wanted to hear from. She seemed so real and authentic.
3. The ending. The ending was the slight redemption for me. I really liked it. I got genuinely excited to see that someone had had the brain cells to work out what the hell was going on - everyone else in the town felt so oblivious to it. Or that they knew and they were just ignoring it. And that annoyed me.
4. Lola’s ending. I really liked the small addition of the story written by L Evangeline. Of course there’s an air of mystery around it but it’s very obvious that it’s Lola. Despite not liking her as a character I enjoyed that she got her redemption too. It makes me wonder where did she go and what she’s like “now”.
Negatives:
1. Lola. Lola is possibly the WORST character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. She is so naive and obnoxious - albeit because of her past trauma - but MAN. Really? She’s so self aware that she’s a horrible person as well, she knows it. She knows how to manipulate people and treats people awfully. I thought Carter was a complete idiot for wanting to be anywhere near her. She was not likeable or relatable at all.
2. Plot holes. So much of this book felt so necessary? I got to 200 pages in and I was like right so she’s waiting for Mr Jitters to come and get her? The scene in the museum with the film seemed totally pointless. And the rats at the tree? I struggle to see how that added anything. It was just a weird way to push her and Carter together. Relationships didn’t make sense. So much was left unexplained.
3. The story is just generally confusing. You only really find out the truth at the end, and before then there’s just too much information. So, are we all under the impression that Lola just got wrapped up in trauma, and combined with an urban legend, she just went completely off the rails? Am I right in thinking the other girls dressed as Little Bird just happened to go missing? Drowning/running away or falling into sink holes?
4. Although confusing, it was kind of predictable. I guessed that Lola stabbed Nolan a mile off.
5. Mr Jitters. I feel like I have the wrong idea about him. In my head, there was an existing urban myth already there in Harrow Lake...and Lola was so ill and traumatised, that it just sort of consumed her. Mr Jitters was a manifestation of all her grief and he came alive. Everything she saw wasn’t real. She had an imaginary friend to cope - an imaginary friend trying to shield her from remembering all the trauma. And in the end, she allows him to “reach her” - I.e. fully remembering all the trauma she’s blocked out, and when she says “let me go” she’s releasing herself from the trauma.
Overall I am confused, and I’ve rambled for far too long.
Positives:
1. The intrigue and the suspense of this book, especially in the first 100 pages, was insane. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, I felt like I was part of the story. It had the proper creepy small town with a ton of secrets vibe.
2. Cora. Cora was the ONLY good character in this book in my opinion and I am SO GLAD ABOUT THE ENDING. What a badass!! She was the only one with any substance that I wanted to hear from. She seemed so real and authentic.
3. The ending. The ending was the slight redemption for me. I really liked it. I got genuinely excited to see that someone had had the brain cells to work out what the hell was going on - everyone else in the town felt so oblivious to it. Or that they knew and they were just ignoring it. And that annoyed me.
4. Lola’s ending. I really liked the small addition of the story written by L Evangeline. Of course there’s an air of mystery around it but it’s very obvious that it’s Lola. Despite not liking her as a character I enjoyed that she got her redemption too. It makes me wonder where did she go and what she’s like “now”.
Negatives:
1. Lola. Lola is possibly the WORST character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. She is so naive and obnoxious - albeit because of her past trauma - but MAN. Really? She’s so self aware that she’s a horrible person as well, she knows it. She knows how to manipulate people and treats people awfully. I thought Carter was a complete idiot for wanting to be anywhere near her. She was not likeable or relatable at all.
2. Plot holes. So much of this book felt so necessary? I got to 200 pages in and I was like right so she’s waiting for Mr Jitters to come and get her? The scene in the museum with the film seemed totally pointless. And the rats at the tree? I struggle to see how that added anything. It was just a weird way to push her and Carter together. Relationships didn’t make sense. So much was left unexplained.
3. The story is just generally confusing. You only really find out the truth at the end, and before then there’s just too much information. So, are we all under the impression that Lola just got wrapped up in trauma, and combined with an urban legend, she just went completely off the rails? Am I right in thinking the other girls dressed as Little Bird just happened to go missing? Drowning/running away or falling into sink holes?
4. Although confusing, it was kind of predictable. I guessed that Lola stabbed Nolan a mile off.
5. Mr Jitters. I feel like I have the wrong idea about him. In my head, there was an existing urban myth already there in Harrow Lake...and Lola was so ill and traumatised, that it just sort of consumed her. Mr Jitters was a manifestation of all her grief and he came alive. Everything she saw wasn’t real. She had an imaginary friend to cope - an imaginary friend trying to shield her from remembering all the trauma. And in the end, she allows him to “reach her” - I.e. fully remembering all the trauma she’s blocked out, and when she says “let me go” she’s releasing herself from the trauma.
Overall I am confused, and I’ve rambled for far too long.
agsztyl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sylviaafayee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5