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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
As someone who's generally creeped out by movies/games centered around supernatural cults and who really enjoyed the "true crime"-like vibe of Penance by Eliza Clark, this scratched an itch for me. This would make a good Outlast-type game adaptation. The lore and exposition ran deep and I really enjoyed that.
It got rambly and nihilistic near the end, and Jed was so unpleasant and unnecessary to the story. I'm glad he wasn't a larger part of it, but he did take away from the final climax of the novel for me. Not sure what his character was supposed to add.
I also found some of the exciting scenes difficult to visualize and follow. I get that Kyle was supposed to be in a state of panic for most of these, but the writing would jump from describing one bit of the scene, to digressing to another part in more detail, before jumping back to the original thing it was supposed to be describing. It didn't flow well, and that made scenes difficult to visualize and therefore reduced their spookiness factor.
It got rambly and nihilistic near the end, and Jed was so unpleasant and unnecessary to the story. I'm glad he wasn't a larger part of it, but he did take away from the final climax of the novel for me. Not sure what his character was supposed to add.
I also found some of the exciting scenes difficult to visualize and follow. I get that Kyle was supposed to be in a state of panic for most of these, but the writing would jump from describing one bit of the scene, to digressing to another part in more detail, before jumping back to the original thing it was supposed to be describing. It didn't flow well, and that made scenes difficult to visualize and therefore reduced their spookiness factor.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
A couple of friends get roped into filming a documentary of a cult from the 1970s by an old man with money. Upon research and filming, these guys find out that there is a much bigger and real story to be told.
This book was a 2-for-1 for me. First part seemed standard for the genre and unoriginal. Maybe my Instagram suggestion led me astray by suggesting this was one of the scariest stories they had ever read. It just didn't hit the same for me.
The second part of the book was more mystery and less horror. I mean, there was plenty of horror in it, but it just felt like a supernatural mystery book. I enjoyed this part more than the first.
All in all, not a bad read. I felt like some parts were a little wordy but nothing was really bad about the book. I give it a firm 3 out 5 stars.
This book was a 2-for-1 for me. First part seemed standard for the genre and unoriginal. Maybe my Instagram suggestion led me astray by suggesting this was one of the scariest stories they had ever read. It just didn't hit the same for me.
The second part of the book was more mystery and less horror. I mean, there was plenty of horror in it, but it just felt like a supernatural mystery book. I enjoyed this part more than the first.
All in all, not a bad read. I felt like some parts were a little wordy but nothing was really bad about the book. I give it a firm 3 out 5 stars.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
All the exposition annoys me. That's all.
dark
tense
medium-paced
This was a legitimately scary book, which is quite a feat for me especially since the premise is a well worn trope. The scares stayed on the page - it did not make me afraid of the dark or give me nightmares - but while I was reading it I was VERY jumpy. I appreciated that!
At first I did not like the writing style at all. The prologue made me think that this was going to error-filled and sloppy. However I decided to give it at least one chapter, and it became clear that it was a choice to create tension. When things start getting weird/scary, the writing gets choppier and more fragmented as a reflection of the character’s states. When the writing needs to flow, it flows.
This was effective for me and I will read more by the author.
At first I did not like the writing style at all. The prologue made me think that this was going to error-filled and sloppy. However I decided to give it at least one chapter, and it became clear that it was a choice to create tension. When things start getting weird/scary, the writing gets choppier and more fragmented as a reflection of the character’s states. When the writing needs to flow, it flows.
This was effective for me and I will read more by the author.