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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Rounded up from 3.5. This book was very weird but totally captivating. It kind of lost me near the climax but I enjoyed the ride.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought this was pretty unique and was a solid read up until the end. I didn’t feel that big umf I wanted. I predicted the ending pretty early on. I think this would be a really solid horror movie though.
Took a while to get there but I enjoyed the ride. But the title made the song stick in my head.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
I will say—the last twenty or so pages made me squint a little. I actually did like the ending of the frame narrative; it was a good twist and I could see it all very clearly in my head. The hands almost drowning Anwar, and the almost Stepford-esque idyllic neighborhood populated by those under the control of Oksana, taking him away, allowing them to keep their secret? Immaculate vibes! (Also, is Oksana a hive mind now or..?)
HOWEVER—the action-packed sequence of the retelling of the "final" fight against Oksana felt extremely off and distant from the rest of the story. It was like "this happened.. and then... OOH—wait, this as well!" Like someone forced the author to make up the most insane and disjointed shit that doesn't even match the tone of the story. It's, like, the last 10% of the book. It's so weird and it felt like I accidentally starting reading something else!?
Megan was a very blah character who feels—to me—like all the dialogue and action was written first and then the author was like "Oh shit, gotta make a main character real quick.. uh... it's a girl.. called Megan.. uh, her parents are dead.. she's an artist.. she's kinda grungy and edgy.. let's throw her in there."
Besides that, I think it was overall good. I loved the body-horror element and details regarding it, the vivid descriptions of the pre-Internet world that made me feel nostalgia (for a time where I was, like, 2-3 years old), and the overall vibe. I think it did drag on a tad, but I did like it a lot. As a mentioned, someone needs to adapt this to the screen. Cronenberg!? 🤞🏾
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Ok, I won’t lie… this one took me awhile. It’s a bizarre tale that starts out with a talking head & a true crime podcaster. You only have more questions from that point onwards.
This tale creeps into you… your thoughts deceiving the mind day & night. You start to wonder if it’s more than a book at times. Or at least I did, as my dreams became peculiar nightmares the more I read on….
Don’t worry, the ending gives you SOME answers, but leaves others to the readers’ interpretation & imagination.
This terrible tale needs to be added to your reading list if it isn’t already!!! Be warned, it may have lasting effects.
Thank you to the author for a copy to read & review!
This tale creeps into you… your thoughts deceiving the mind day & night. You start to wonder if it’s more than a book at times. Or at least I did, as my dreams became peculiar nightmares the more I read on….
Don’t worry, the ending gives you SOME answers, but leaves others to the readers’ interpretation & imagination.
This terrible tale needs to be added to your reading list if it isn’t already!!! Be warned, it may have lasting effects.
Thank you to the author for a copy to read & review!
mysterious
Imagine if The Thing was actually an episode of The Twilight Zone, with a touch of “I know what you did last summer” thrown in. Imagine that show had a soundtrack of all your favorite alternative bands, and all the grew up in the 90s nostalgia you could possibly handle.
Now imagine it’s better.
Head like a hole was gruesome but campy. Nostalgic but also fresh.
My partner and I read it together and I couldn’t help but think about the two of us in 1996, what we would have been doing at the time. We were already well versed in horrror, so I like to think we would have burned the body in the first place…
Will definitely be reading anything else of Andrew Van Wey’s I can get my hands on in the future.
Now imagine it’s better.
Head like a hole was gruesome but campy. Nostalgic but also fresh.
My partner and I read it together and I couldn’t help but think about the two of us in 1996, what we would have been doing at the time. We were already well versed in horrror, so I like to think we would have burned the body in the first place…
Will definitely be reading anything else of Andrew Van Wey’s I can get my hands on in the future.