Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Eye of the Ouroboros

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Eye of the Ouroboros by Megan Bontrager

3 reviews

henrygravesprince's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

In the interest of full disclosure, this review is specifically regarding a DRC copy of the book from Net Galley, so while I imagine this eBook was pretty close to finalized, some details may have been changed between my copy and the official release.

If you’re looking for a popcorn read with X-Files overtones, thematic cues from Fullmetal Alchemist, and undertones of Stranger Things, I’d point you in the direction of Eye of the Ouroboros. The strongest aspect of the book to me is that you can tell the author had a lot of love for the story and characters; the weakest aspect is perhaps that we miss out on a lot of the development of the characters and the lead-up to the book. To be honest, this isn’t normally what I would recommend, but I think it could be improved by just making it longer—the book feels like it should be a hundred, maybe two hundred pages longer, to let the narrative simmer some. It feels like it should be a huge

cosmic

horror/sci-fantasy hybrid in order to deliver what it has to offer. I hope Bontrager keeps publishing her work, as I think it has a lot of potential, but whether or not I’ll read whatever comes next, I’m not sure. I don’t think I would have picked this book up if it didn’t catch my attention with its Appalachian setting, but I am ultimately happy I did.

Overall, the narrative feels consistent and clear, and I imagine the author knew well what she was intending to write—I just wish the rest of the work had been given more time and substance in order to make the book as effective as possible. The book isn’t lacking in its plot so much as it leaves me wanting more character work and a more concrete sense of setting (the Appalachia of this book isn’t a bad portrayal, but it doesn’t really feel distinct, either; the slight anti-authority bend of the plot feels more authentic to Appalachia than anything else). Conflict is pretty consistently woven into the plot, and the stakes remain high throughout the book. The pacing is very fast, and I wish it started off with a more even pace to allow the reader to adjust to Theo’s “normal” before getting thrown into the meat of the plot; while adding more development and exposition to the beginning would slow the pace down, I think it would do wonders for actually getting readers invested and on board.

I enjoy the themes that the book eventually lands on regarding desperation, sacrifice, and family (both found and biological), but I wish they had been built up to a little more. Subplots are more implied than included—I would have liked to have seen the development of interpersonal relationships between the cast through secondary narratives, instead of just being told about them. Characterization and cast dynamics are relatively consistent, but leave something to be desired in that a lot of the development and background is more “tell” than “show”. The cast grew on me, but I wish the characters were delved into more, so that I could have gotten genuinely attached to them.

The writing style is overall consistent and suits Theo’s perspective well, having a similar sort of edge. Description lends itself to a surreal tone sometimes, which I don’t necessarily mind for this book; in some parts, it’s incredibly effective, though in others, it occasionally feels a bit overwritten, as if it’s been put in as a way to compensate for the lack of other narrative elements. Dialogue falls into a kind of exaggeratedly snarky cadence, which feels pretty in tune with the tone of the book. I noticed a few spelling and grammatical errors that may well have been adjusted for the final published version of the book. Syntax was occasionally difficult to parse because of the flowery prose, while word choice was often very direct, making sentences a bit obscure at times but stylistically interesting.

Content Warnings

sol_journal's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

**Thank you so much Quill & Crow Publishing House and Megan Bontrager for the arc! All words and thoughts in this review are my own honest opinion!**

Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The Storygraph

Posted on: 23 March 2024

3.6 (rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars.

Wow. The little girl in me who grew up reading those reddit search and rescue stories was *beyond* excited to read this! I mean, if I had the time to just sit with it, I really think I could’ve finished this in one sitting. I really wanted to and I think when my physical copy comes in, I may dedicate time to do just do that! There was just *something* about the way this read that made me devour it (as it devoured me- it was so hard to get this book out of my mind!)

The writing was pretty enjoyable. There were some bits where the details kind of went over my head, but I tend to read in inconvenient places and times (usually during my downtime at work or late at night before bed) so that could very well be the reason.

I also definitely noticed the complaint a few other readers noted on how the pacing was off, and I can agree. There were a few times where I had to read back a few pages to make sure that I hadn’t just glossed over something on accident. This leads into one of *my* desires for the book- I wish it had been longer! I loved the characters for the short time we have them, but I wish we would’ve had them for *longer*. Since the book is in Theo’s POV, I kind of feel like we miss out on some development opportunities (not saying the book had none because I grew to love the cast a lot). I was left wanting though, and I feel that if the book had been longer, some of the jumps with information and plot points could’ve also been better smoothed out. In my personal opinion though, I still throughly enjoyed the storyline we are given. I loved the mystery, the eeriness, and the creepy atmosphere with the Ouroboros and those involved.

There was something else that I noticed often while I read, and it’s the fact that the *vibes* of this read carry. Do you know when horror movies/video games have scenes that build tension over normal actions by playing eerie music in the background instead of giving much dialogue to explain what’s happening? That’s what this book felt like at times. I could practically *hear* the rising violin or the slow drags of dissonant notes before it abruptly cuts off. I could feel the unsettling air that Theo is thrown into. I’m not sure if that’s just the little me who read SARs stories making up music as I read, or if the prose itself allowed for this space to be created- whatever the answer, I loved loved loved it!

I have a few scattered notes I took as I read that don’t quite fit with my aforementioned thoughts above, so I’ll dump them here rapid-fire style:

The action that happens in the story hits as it’s happening- if that makes sense. The setting is already building up on eeriness and dread, that feeling like you know something is gonna happen but you don’t know *when*. But you also don’t really expect what will happen until you’re suddenly thrown into the scene.
This book consumed me. It became a fan-favorite *fast* for the fact that I love this genre of horror. I’m a big fan of the Kids on Bikes TTRPG game ‘Kollok 1991’ and this gave very similar vibes! And if I haven’t stated it enough, I loved SARs stories growing up. This was everything I forgot I loved wrapped into one with a door leading straight into the thick of it (get it? Doors are kinda problematic around here- I’ll see myself out now…)
I feel like this was horror in that it was creepy, but not too scary? It has some gore though, wonderfully done action scenes IMO that I could almost see when I sat down and focused on reading. I really would say that this is great for people who don’t like to get scared but kind of want a nice little chiller.
Sometimes the characters grated me by how they acted? Theo has some development, but she says stuff that kinda contradicts? An example- she mentions that a conspiracy theorist isn’t really a bad thing because it means somebody out there is ‘crazier than her’ and also means she’s ’not alone in her belief’. But another scene further in, she uses ‘conspiracist/conspiracy theorist’ as an insult/thinks of them insultingly. It’s little things like this, but I feel like it’s just showing how Theo grows along the way too. Her thoughts do kinda change later/she eventually learns to work with different people. I think it’s the fact that Theo is tough to love at first (but man does she fight her way into your heart by the end)

Phew- didn’t mean to write near an essay about this book, so I’ll leave it with one final thing:

The ending was nice! It had enough closure to make me feel content with things, but was also open enough that I’d almost love and continuation somehow? I really did just enjoy this read so much! It was lacking in some parts as I mentioned above, but overall I loved the energy it brought. I can’t wait to make the time to just- sit and let this book consume me all over again once my preorder comes in!

Content Warnings

jettreads's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I was fortunate enough to read this as an ARC via NetGalley. Downfall? It was an eBook, which strains these old eyes.

That being said, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the story. I immediately liked some characters and disliked others, and I was on the fence about some. It's a bit like real life.

I enjoyed reasing the book, but of course I have to look at it with more of a critical eye for a review. The story was too fast. It was great when seemingly random things happen because I felt I was thrown for as much of a loop as the character, but I also need a little more as the reader because I am reading before bed and thennsuddenly thinking, "How did we get here?"

Also, I was confused about Quinn's family. First, they were the ones who gave Theo love and warmth and then suddenly they were dead. I need more in there.

I think I felt a connection with this book because this was written during the pandemic. The drinking, the internal chaos while nothing seemed to be happening Out There when you ooened your door. I thought the author portrayed it well. I just need a liiiiittle more detail for my imagination to world build.

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