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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Some of this felt a little predictable, but the writing was so gorgeous and the three Hallowell daughters and Marin so engaging that I rounded it up from 4.5 to 5. Creepy, haunting, beautiful, a bit of a surprising love letter to the Maine coast, RIYL LGBTQ+ YA, Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, .
Spoiler
zombies-but-not
Confession: I bought the book because of the cover. It started well with a thriller build up, descended to a romance, abruptly switched to horror. By this point, I was fed up and left the book at around 2/3 through. Amazingly enough I picked it up again after a few weeks and it was a quite good, or at least, exciting last 80 pages or so.
Marin is down and out. She is also dowdy. Her mother is dead. She gets invited to be the tutor of the children of a friend of her mother, Alice, although she has never met or heard of the woman. The children, Thea and Wren, are awful. They play nasty pranks. Alice is plagued by migraines. The pranks get worse and then the bug sister, Eve, comes home. Strange things begin to happen.
Marin is down and out. She is also dowdy. Her mother is dead. She gets invited to be the tutor of the children of a friend of her mother, Alice, although she has never met or heard of the woman. The children, Thea and Wren, are awful. They play nasty pranks. Alice is plagued by migraines. The pranks get worse and then the bug sister, Eve, comes home. Strange things begin to happen.
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hauntingly beautiful.
I did not know what to expect going into this book but I was very pleased with the storyline and characters.
It can feel slow at first but it picks up quickly.
I did not know what to expect going into this book but I was very pleased with the storyline and characters.
It can feel slow at first but it picks up quickly.
I’m going to admit that I was very bored most of the time but it still wasn’t a bad book, if that makes sense. Much more fantasy oriented than I expected instead of horror but since it’s YA, I should’ve known that. I wish it was spooky thought because it wasn't at all, it just felt rather stereotypical and flat. I also do feel like she was trying to make it like a lot of other stories. I liked the sapphic romance though! I think this is more of a 2 stars but.. I'm feeling generous today.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
3.5 rounded up.
The first half of the book was slow. The second half was better. I couldn't put it down. Loved the twists and turns!
The first half of the book was slow. The second half was better. I couldn't put it down. Loved the twists and turns!
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Grief, Car accident