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emilywrayburn's review
dark
slow-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
2.0
The only word I have to describe this book is "dull". And I feel bad about it. But it just... it promised a gruesome murder mystery and possibly some horror and a deep-dive into the nature of "truth" and what I got was... a lot of talking through the bars of a jail cell.
I actually thought the writing was quite engaging. I flew through the pages. But only because it was easy to read. Not really because I was hooked.
I think the main problem is that everything interesting has already happens when the story starts. Usually in a serial killer murder mystery, the murders keep happening as the story progresses, and the investigators are in a race against time. But there's none of that, really.
All we have is a girl who was found at the crime scene, covered in blood, who claims she didn't kill anyone. Who refuses to talk to anyone but our narrator, and half the time, doesn't even answer his questions. I couldn't get invested in their relationship at all.
I actually thought the writing was quite engaging. I flew through the pages. But only because it was easy to read. Not really because I was hooked.
I think the main problem is that everything interesting has already happens when the story starts. Usually in a serial killer murder mystery, the murders keep happening as the story progresses, and the investigators are in a race against time. But there's none of that, really.
All we have is a girl who was found at the crime scene, covered in blood, who claims she didn't kill anyone. Who refuses to talk to anyone but our narrator, and half the time, doesn't even answer his questions. I couldn't get invested in their relationship at all.
By the end, Michael is willing to put himself at huge risk for her, but I had no idea why. There's a line towards the end where Michael observes that none of the school mates he's grown up with know him as well as Marie does, but I had no reason to believe that.
The horror elements are kept to a minimum, and honestly, that's to the books detriment. The ending is supposed to be ambiguous, and it achieves that to a point, but some things were left completely loose-ended.
In the author's note, Kendare Blake explains that this story was inspired by a real life killing spree that took place in a similar area of the US in the 1950s. I think trying to adapt real events while also throwing in elements of the supernatural, made for a little too much for one shortish novel and as a result, it ended up achieving very little.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Vomit
bookishjaybird's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Pedophilia
notsarahconnor's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm a simple gal, give me a book that even hints at vampires and it's on my TBR pile.
I'm surprised by how much I liked this book. Atmospheric and with a great voice, Blake has really blown me away!
Read the full review on my blog!
I'm surprised by how much I liked this book. Atmospheric and with a great voice, Blake has really blown me away!
Read the full review on my blog!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Pedophilia, and Murder
monalyisha's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Not at all what I was expecting. This YA murder mystery, with a Criminal Minds meets SVU vibe, is more about the Horror(s) that people are capable of when they’ve been hurt than it is about jump scares or supernatural beings. Though it’s true that vampires have always been about power & sexual politics (which is why it was so thrilling that the first vampire featured on Buffy was female…but I digress).
A slow read with some style issues. I’ve never read Kendare Blake before…& I wasn’t bowled over. This felt pretty dry with a lot more telling than showing. I also wonder about the choice to only write from a male character’s POV when part of the problem *is* the male gaze. Does Blake’s authorial choice help to drive the point home? Or, is it a cop out to maintain the mystery?
I appreciated Marie’s insistence that *she* be the one to decide which parts of her story were important and which weren’t, & Blake’s overall focus on the dangers of womanhood (both as victim and perpetrator). Her message about the public’s limited imagination (when it comes to gender & other, equally fictitious topics) is a strong one.
A slow read with some style issues. I’ve never read Kendare Blake before…& I wasn’t bowled over. This felt pretty dry with a lot more telling than showing. I also wonder about the choice to only write from a male character’s POV when part of the problem *is* the male gaze. Does Blake’s authorial choice help to drive the point home? Or, is it a cop out to maintain the mystery?
I appreciated Marie’s insistence that *she* be the one to decide which parts of her story were important and which weren’t, & Blake’s overall focus on the dangers of womanhood (both as victim and perpetrator). Her message about the public’s limited imagination (when it comes to gender & other, equally fictitious topics) is a strong one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Murder, Violence, Blood, Rape, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
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