Reviews

Ararat by Christopher Golden

dowryofbooks's review against another edition

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3.0

3/5 stars

Starting off 2022 with a atmospheric snowy mountain horror novel perfect for Winterween. my fav readathon Going in, I knew the ratings for this book weren't that great, but I had to read it anyways because the premise sounds just fan-fucking-tastic.

This story starts off with an earthquake on Mount Ararat that reveals a cave in the side of the mountain that actually happens to be a massive ship- an ark. Meryam and her husband to be Adam are determined to be the first ones to the cave. Inside the cave lies lots of bones, and a well encased coffin. When they open the coffin they discover the disturbing remains of a horned creature. This creature becomes an ominous presence and tensions rise as all the researchers and filmmakers in the cave speculate that this creature is something sinister. Everyone wants the creature removed from the cave before they continue their work, but on-cue, a blizzard traps them all inside the cave.

Christopher Golden really brought the atmosphere to life with the blizzard raging outside the mountain, and the intense atmosphere inside the cave with all of these people of different religions on the very edge. I could feel the sense of foreboding in my bones. This would honestly make a great movie and I'd love to see it.

There were a lot of characters, though. Since this is a horror, I don't consider it a spoiler to say that there are also a lot of character deaths. Once the characters started being picked off I realized why I was just liking this book, not loving it. I felt nothing for any of these characters, there wasn't one of them that I was rooting for to live. The deaths were pretty gruesome and some even supposed to be emotional, but my emotions weren't in it.

I also felt like this book didn't quite live up to it's premise. It was pretty slow paced up until the last 20-30% when shit really started happening.

Again, this would make an amazing movie.

shortybtrippin's review

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4.0

Love this book! One of my favorite genres is a religious horror, specifically around Christian beliefs, but that isn’t just a demon in an old house scaring people. The Noah’s Ark element, along with the setting of Ararat, really took this story to another level. And the ending was really great, wasn’t expecting that!

sshockley's review against another edition

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3.0

It’s fine. Predictable. Just kind of a by the numbers popcorn horror book. Some cringe here and there but not too bad. Don’t take this one too seriously.

amy123456789's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

arrhythmia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

stuffhanreads's review against another edition

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4.0

Rating: 4 Stars

I went into this book completely blind, I wasn’t sure what i was expecting but i can’t say it was this. sure the main reason i picked it up was for the secluded, cut off from the world vibes it has and i do love the snow.

We follow Meryam and Adam, an engaged couple who go on adventures all over the world. they receive a call from an old friend and travel to turkey. to climb mount ararat. We also follow Walker, Kim and Father Cornelius.

Pretty early on we get this sense of dread in the cave, as though something or someone is watching the characters. And this feeling gets more intense as the book progresses. along with feelings of tension and fear.

i will say that this book had pretty good pacing, it kept me hooked in parts but in some i found myself wishing it would get to the point. the ending confused me to no end, i feel like the book wasn’t wrapped up well. However i do recommend that you read it! for all the issues i had it was enjoyable.

aerolich's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

raeson822's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

helenistra's review against another edition

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4.0

Her ne kadar tahmin edilebilir bir sonu olsa da, (en azından korku hayranları için) gayet kendini okutan, sürükleyici bir romandı. Karakterlerin arka hikayeleri daha iyi anlatılabilirdi bence, özellikle Walter'ın geçmişi çok vurgulandığı halde açık uçlu bırakılmış, çok tatmin edici bir kurgu olmamıştı.
Yine de keyifliydi. Zaten toplam okuma saati olarak 6-7 saat maksimum sürer,benim de o civarda bitti.

roguemeatwad's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0