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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
“Dead Dove: Do Not Touch” took me out of it immediately🧍🏻♀️
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A great way to start off spooky season early! (If I'm being honest, I've been in a spooky mood all year, but let's say that this is my official entryway into Halloween-time).
The two best things about this book are its setting and its characters. I hate cold, muddy, windy, rainy environments, and yet, more than anything, I want to spend some time at Lovelace House. Something about McCauley's writing made this objectively horrible home seem enticing and cozy. I also want to fall in love with the eldest daughter of some odd, eerie family whose children I'm babysitting, as the two of us run around the dark hallways of this terrifying mansion, while we steal kisses in the shadows of the night: is that really too much to ask?
All the characters are great: the two children are definitely a fun addition to the story (and this is coming from someone who cannot stand kids). Evie was wonderful, and I really did believe the romance that developed between her and Marin. But Marin, the main character, is really the one who stole the show for me. I mean, come on: a young girl riddled with constant dread and anxiety, always anticipating the worst-case scenarios, finding an odd comfort in horror stories, and slowly discovering that she's sapphic as hell? Did I meet McCauley at age 17 and then promptly forget about that encounter while she went off and wrote an entire novel about me? I related to Marin so much, and it made it really easy for me to become deeply invested in the story from the very beginning. I loved following her on her journey and watching her grow as a person.
The biggest downside to this novel is sort of a byproduct of my own relationship with horror: I read a lot of horror books and watch a lot of horror movies, and I mentioned this in a previous review, but grief is a very common theme to explore within the genre. It's usually done well, but because I've seen so many different iterations of it, an author has to do something really unique for a book about grief to truly win me over. Sometimes grief is only a small part of a book, and there are other elements that build the story, which allows it to be an exceptional reading experience regardless. But All the Dead Lie Down really is all about grief and death, so I needed it to do something I've never seen before. And sadly, I don't think it hit the mark. This in no way makes it a bad book; it just makes a little less memorable in the long haul.
If you liked The Haunting of Bly Manor, you will love this story. There are a lot of similarities and parallels between the two, from the setting to the characters to the family dynamics to the super sweet and loving sapphic relationship at the core of the story. Overall, I had a good time with it, and it was a very quick read, a testament to its quality and my general enjoyment of the book.
The two best things about this book are its setting and its characters. I hate cold, muddy, windy, rainy environments, and yet, more than anything, I want to spend some time at Lovelace House. Something about McCauley's writing made this objectively horrible home seem enticing and cozy. I also want to fall in love with the eldest daughter of some odd, eerie family whose children I'm babysitting, as the two of us run around the dark hallways of this terrifying mansion, while we steal kisses in the shadows of the night: is that really too much to ask?
All the characters are great: the two children are definitely a fun addition to the story (and this is coming from someone who cannot stand kids). Evie was wonderful, and I really did believe the romance that developed between her and Marin. But Marin, the main character, is really the one who stole the show for me. I mean, come on: a young girl riddled with constant dread and anxiety, always anticipating the worst-case scenarios, finding an odd comfort in horror stories, and slowly discovering that she's sapphic as hell? Did I meet McCauley at age 17 and then promptly forget about that encounter while she went off and wrote an entire novel about me? I related to Marin so much, and it made it really easy for me to become deeply invested in the story from the very beginning. I loved following her on her journey and watching her grow as a person.
The biggest downside to this novel is sort of a byproduct of my own relationship with horror: I read a lot of horror books and watch a lot of horror movies, and I mentioned this in a previous review, but grief is a very common theme to explore within the genre. It's usually done well, but because I've seen so many different iterations of it, an author has to do something really unique for a book about grief to truly win me over. Sometimes grief is only a small part of a book, and there are other elements that build the story, which allows it to be an exceptional reading experience regardless. But All the Dead Lie Down really is all about grief and death, so I needed it to do something I've never seen before. And sadly, I don't think it hit the mark. This in no way makes it a bad book; it just makes a little less memorable in the long haul.
If you liked The Haunting of Bly Manor, you will love this story. There are a lot of similarities and parallels between the two, from the setting to the characters to the family dynamics to the super sweet and loving sapphic relationship at the core of the story. Overall, I had a good time with it, and it was a very quick read, a testament to its quality and my general enjoyment of the book.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated