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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you get a couple chapters in and think you know where the story will go… you’d be right. This book is extremely predictable- it had so many opportunities to give a twist, but every character is played out exactly how you’d expect them to. You do get a bit of a claustrophobic feeling as intended, but it wasn’t scary at all (I wouldn’t even call this creepy). Ahlborn’s writing is easy to read and flows really well, I just wish the story had been better.
Some of the twists were a little obvious, but I think part of that is just me being a fan of horror and true crime as well as someone who studied literature and creative writing. That being said, it was a fun read. The writing style has a nice flow, and the characters feel like real people in a way that can be hard to achieve in this kind of narrative. I have a few other Ahlborn novels on my "to read" list, and I will definitely be picking one up soon.
I will warn, this book has some epistolic elements so, if you're not into that, it might bug you. But this and The Troop utilize it in a way that's not distracting and really adds to the overall story.
I will warn, this book has some epistolic elements so, if you're not into that, it might bug you. But this and The Troop utilize it in a way that's not distracting and really adds to the overall story.
Just do yourself a favor and read “Helter Skelter.” I made myself finish this book since I’d paid for it, but it was such a drag.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book's cover is the scariest part and it has nothing to do with the novel.
Within These Walls was a great idea but poorly executed. It was simply boring.
Ahlborn tries to delve into themes of obsession and manipulation, but everything falls short. The narrative leaves much to be desired in terms of character depth and detail. Lucas complains too much and does little to nothing about it. Jeff is supposed to be alluring, charming, and seductive, but we never really see how or why I would have liked to dive deeper into Jeff and his cult because by the novel's end, we pretty much learn nothing about him or why he's so influential over this group of kids. I'm all for "not giving everything away", but sometimes you have to explain SOME things.
Overall, Within These Walls struggles to engage me.I felt myself speed reading through to the end hoping for something interesting to happen, but it never really did.
Within These Walls was a great idea but poorly executed. It was simply boring.
Ahlborn tries to delve into themes of obsession and manipulation, but everything falls short. The narrative leaves much to be desired in terms of character depth and detail. Lucas complains too much and does little to nothing about it. Jeff is supposed to be alluring, charming, and seductive, but we never really see how or why I would have liked to dive deeper into Jeff and his cult because by the novel's end, we pretty much learn nothing about him or why he's so influential over this group of kids. I'm all for "not giving everything away", but sometimes you have to explain SOME things.
Overall, Within These Walls struggles to engage me.I felt myself speed reading through to the end hoping for something interesting to happen, but it never really did.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Well written and haunting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Great horror for what horror is. This book, more than other horror books, felt like a movie playing in m my head. Took off a star because the characters felt TOO dense sometimes, like, more than typical horror movie dense. Some parts were like watching Hagrid tell Harry he was a wizard 100 times.