Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe

27 reviews

five_rats_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition

dark slow-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? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Self harm, Stalking, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia

jess_sherlock's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Our protagonist, whose name remains unknown, seeks solace in the serene Scottish countryside after a disturbing incident at a private school. Settling in the isolated Hare House estate, she gradually becomes enmeshed in the lives of the family and their close-knit circle of friends as winter descends. Yet, in true gothic fashion, the story takes an eerie turn as witchcraft, folklore, and local customs intertwine with feelings of paranoia, loneliness, and isolation.

While Hare House possesses all the elements for an intriguing and atmospheric tale, it falls short of expectations. The use of an unreliable narrator is skillful, but the ambiguity occasionally falters. While the leisurely pace of the relatively short book creates an atmospheric build-up, the ending feels suddenly rushed, detracting from its overall impact.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident and Animal death

samsearle's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting and Mental illness

Minor: Animal death and Suicide

ohlisaline's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A mysterious read that kept me guessing until the end. Very nicely written and immersive. Still has be thinking about what had actually happened.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Mental illness

carolined's review

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The author had a good idea and didn't really take it anywhere. Beautifully written but dull and pointless. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Cursing, Suicide, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, and Classism

livlostinstereo's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I found this book in my local library and the premise piqued my interest. Hinchcliffe’s writing is beautiful. Honestly, this woman can turn a phrase with the best of them. Her descriptions of the Scottish countryside and her metaphoric style are all lovely. She creates tension like a pro. 
However, the reason I’m giving this a 3 star rating: the resolution of the supernatural/mysterious causes of all the strangeness going on is lacking. The characters aren’t particularly lovable(though I must admit, we all know a Janet), which isn’t an issue, but the resolution doesn’t quite answer any of the questions. I have my theories but I would have loved a more thorough answer to some of the questions presented.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Body horror, Car accident, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, Physical abuse, and Pedophilia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Gaslighting

the_vvitch's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

This book was ruined by the weird sexualized hatred of teenage girls, especially by a grown woman. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death

frankieclc's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Eating disorder

madamelacy's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Eating disorder, Animal death, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Classism, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

The story isn’t resolved at the end so it’s up to the reader to decide what really happened.

caitsidhe's review

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Hare House is a well-written and characterised Gothic set in the modern day. Our main character is a repressed, haunted woman escaping from a traumatic event. She moves to Hare House and become embroiled in the emotional difficulties of Grant and Cass, who live in the manor house.

I really liked this book. The prose fits the story well and the unnamed narrator is a great gothic protagonist - she resembles the main character in the Turn of The Screw, being an unreliable narrator with a history, repressed sexual desire, and notably a hatred of the blooming sexuality of young women. 

The tension in Hare House builds slowly through careful use of atmosphere and horrific events. Cass is a fascinating character and very accurate for a traumatised 17 year old - in equal parts charming, annoying, and disturbing, all of those filtered through the faulty interpretation of the narrator.

The ending is creepy, and it doesn't leave everything nicely wrapped up and explained.

Recommended.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Animal death, Car accident, and Mental illness

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Confinement, Bullying, and Misogyny

Minor: Classism, Cursing, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, and Emotional abuse