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rheavf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
booktribe's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia
graveyardpansy's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 leaning towards 4. There was a lot i liked, and a little bit I didn’t. The characters were kinda flat, esp Ezra and Leah just didn’t feel like actual people and were very confined to one or two character traits. The plot was also less surprising/twisty than i usually enjoy in horror — it was very predictable, but that also created some fun dramatic irony.
However, the atmosphere, premise as a whole, and imagery and description that was present.... wow!! very enjoyable!! The worldbuilding was easy to follow and well-done, even though it wasn’t anything fantastical or unrealistic. I haven’t read a lot of horror centred around witchcraft as I don’t always love the tropes that come with the subgenre, but I still did enjoy this one. The moral greyness of a lot of the groups and the way that evil came from both ‘sides’ was really well done, and made the story as a whole more complex and real.
I feel a bit conflicted with the overall theming of misogyny and religion and racism. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE horror that also provides genuine and well-thought-out societal critique. It’a much better than horror where stuff is scary because it’s gay. But this did feel a liiiittle heavy-handed. Overall I thought the theming was laced into the plot and the horror pretty well, but as someone who’s pretty sensitive to social issues, there were multiple points where I felt like I was being poked with a stick like “hey, did you notice this society is racist? did you notice the misogyny?” Regardless, I think that’s just a thing that’s gonna depend on each reader and isn’t a flaw of the book itself.
As a whole, I thought this was well-written with a good atmosphere and decent plot. Even though the characters were a bit personally disappointing, the way the themes added to the horror was really nice. It kinda reminds me of The VVitch movie, but better and more social commentary. If it sounds up your alley, you probably won’t be disappointed, just don’t go in looking to love the characters!
However, the atmosphere, premise as a whole, and imagery and description that was present.... wow!! very enjoyable!! The worldbuilding was easy to follow and well-done, even though it wasn’t anything fantastical or unrealistic. I haven’t read a lot of horror centred around witchcraft as I don’t always love the tropes that come with the subgenre, but I still did enjoy this one. The moral greyness of a lot of the groups and the way that evil came from both ‘sides’ was really well done, and made the story as a whole more complex and real.
I feel a bit conflicted with the overall theming of misogyny and religion and racism. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE horror that also provides genuine and well-thought-out societal critique. It’a much better than horror where stuff is scary because it’s gay. But this did feel a liiiittle heavy-handed. Overall I thought the theming was laced into the plot and the horror pretty well, but as someone who’s pretty sensitive to social issues, there were multiple points where I felt like I was being poked with a stick like “hey, did you notice this society is racist? did you notice the misogyny?” Regardless, I think that’s just a thing that’s gonna depend on each reader and isn’t a flaw of the book itself.
As a whole, I thought this was well-written with a good atmosphere and decent plot. Even though the characters were a bit personally disappointing, the way the themes added to the horror was really nice. It kinda reminds me of The VVitch movie, but better and more social commentary. If it sounds up your alley, you probably won’t be disappointed, just don’t go in looking to love the characters!
dembury's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 happily rounded up. A wonderfully witchy, feminist, and intriguing read to kick off the fall season. I just loved the emotion and rage throughout the whole story! It was nicely fleshed out and well written, and I look forwards to what Henderson does next.
janagaton's review against another edition
3.0
it was SO GOOD until it got boring. the writing was so perfectly atmospheric and really immerses you in the setting the author intends to portray. there was a point towards the end where i was literally like, omg someone PLEASE just burn already...lol a lot of parts def did drag and i think the ending fell flat and felt repetitive to the point where i could not give a single fuck about anyone anymore and just wanted it to be over. there were several scenes that took me by surprise, but only briefly & it was super easy for me to move on by the end of the page because i didnt really feel invested in the characters. im glad i finally got to this one though, but i definitely preferred House of Hunger.
stephsmith99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The blurbs on the back of the book made me think this was going to be an epic horror story, on par with AHS Coven, or The Nun, and the book is creepy but as I read it was more like a CW horror episode. Creepy, but not terrifying. The plot gets a little muddled, but the writing style made up for it. Still a good book, just not as horror-ish as I thought it would be.
danisacchi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
belindad's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
the_reading_vampire's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
3.0
This is a story about a girl who lives in a SUPER religious town riddled with a ton of misogyny. And she is the daughter of a believed witch and because of that her family had lost its power in the town and she now walks on eggshells to avoid comparison to her "evil" mother. Everyone in the town is told not to go into the woods near by as witches or devils or something can be found lurking there and our main girl has avoided the woods until one day she is forced into them while attempting to chase down her goat or something.. This is what really kicks off the story and starts a chain of events that get a few characters out of their comfort zones and on a mission.
I didn't read the synopsis for this book so I was NOT prepared for just how much religion there is in this book. Specifically the bad kind of religion, littered with misogyny and selfishness/power... It was not easy or enjoyable to get through that part although the story itself was interesting and I got pretty involved towards the latter half of the book. I also was disappointed in the fact that the book was not spooky since I had been holding off on reading it until spooky season and just didn't get those vibes at all.
I am interested in reading the next book and I wonder if that might effect my final rating of this book.
I didn't read the synopsis for this book so I was NOT prepared for just how much religion there is in this book. Specifically the bad kind of religion, littered with misogyny and selfishness/power... It was not easy or enjoyable to get through that part although the story itself was interesting and I got pretty involved towards the latter half of the book. I also was disappointed in the fact that the book was not spooky since I had been holding off on reading it until spooky season and just didn't get those vibes at all.
I am interested in reading the next book and I wonder if that might effect my final rating of this book.