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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Ok. First of all- I DO NOT like Horror books. Not even a little bit. But. I devoured this book. It reads like a multi episode thriller you’d binge on Netflix. It took a moment to get into it for me- but once I started to understand- I felt like I needed to continue reading to find out what happened next.
I listened to this via Audible and I think it was a great decision—the production is top notch and with the multi POVs and the reliance on found evidence (tape recordings of interviews), it translates really well to an audio drama.
Overall, I think this is a great debut horror novel. I was adequately chilled many times. (Listening before bed!) The suspense is great, pacing good, but beyond all that, the psychological explanation is well thought out and executed.
What do I mean by that? Well, this “monster on an island sub genre” can fail really spectacularly. Just remember Lost and all its copycats. The problem there is fairly typical: interesting concept, nice sprint out the gate, no long term planning (plotting), and then final execution falls flat or is totally unbelievable.
Juliano DID clearly plot through to his ending. Hooray. The problem with stories like these is that the tension is ratcheted up so slowly (slow burn) that by the time you get to the explanation, you don’t really care anymore. You feel used. Or cheated. Oh, that was all? It was a mass delusion?? Ho hum. Though Juliano’s “monster on the island” downgraded to “monster in the basement of the haunted house,” I think it still works because he made it clear how the monster was able to draw in his victims across a wider area. A stretch of the imagination, yes, but grieving people do concoct insane scenarios. And the writer’s focus on grief, imo, is smart and unique—I don’t think I’ve seen a novel tackle it in such a creative way. And I think the point of the horror wasn’t necessarily the monster/demon but really the psychological reaction of the islanders to the threatening evil and how they came to prey on one another, strangers, or just destroy themselves. That’s the interesting bit! And once you get there (and everything is explained many times), the monster in the basement falls a bit flat. It was built up so much, it’s just kind of ehhhh. So it can attack and rip a person’s face up. That’s all? The real terror is the people around the monster. And, as we all know, crowd-group humanity is really the thing to fear.
Overall, I think this is a great debut horror novel. I was adequately chilled many times. (Listening before bed!) The suspense is great, pacing good, but beyond all that, the psychological explanation is well thought out and executed.
What do I mean by that? Well, this “monster on an island sub genre” can fail really spectacularly. Just remember Lost and all its copycats. The problem there is fairly typical: interesting concept, nice sprint out the gate, no long term planning (plotting), and then final execution falls flat or is totally unbelievable.
Juliano DID clearly plot through to his ending. Hooray. The problem with stories like these is that the tension is ratcheted up so slowly (slow burn) that by the time you get to the explanation, you don’t really care anymore. You feel used. Or cheated. Oh, that was all? It was a mass delusion?? Ho hum. Though Juliano’s “monster on the island” downgraded to “monster in the basement of the haunted house,” I think it still works because he made it clear how the monster was able to draw in his victims across a wider area. A stretch of the imagination, yes, but grieving people do concoct insane scenarios. And the writer’s focus on grief, imo, is smart and unique—I don’t think I’ve seen a novel tackle it in such a creative way. And I think the point of the horror wasn’t necessarily the monster/demon but really the psychological reaction of the islanders to the threatening evil and how they came to prey on one another, strangers, or just destroy themselves. That’s the interesting bit! And once you get there (and everything is explained many times), the monster in the basement falls a bit flat. It was built up so much, it’s just kind of ehhhh. So it can attack and rip a person’s face up. That’s all? The real terror is the people around the monster. And, as we all know, crowd-group humanity is really the thing to fear.
3.5/5
A little too long for my taste and the story it was telling, which created some redundant chapters.
However, I loved the concept, I thought the writing was solid, and I loved the multimedia aspect as well.
A little too long for my taste and the story it was telling, which created some redundant chapters.
However, I loved the concept, I thought the writing was solid, and I loved the multimedia aspect as well.
I loved the format of this story. Super interesting and fun to read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Without giving to much away, I started reading this book thinking one way and was surprised by the turn it took, but enjoyed it even though it wasn't what I thought originally.
Last summer, when this book was making its rounds in the bookish community, I was immediately drawn in by the idea of a town stuck in 1994 while the rest of the world was going about their 21st century lives. The mystery within asked why the townspeople of Clifford Island repeated rituals every day at the same time, whether it was to walk down to the mailbox and wave at their neighbor, play the same song on a boombox strolling through town, or watching the O.J. Simpson freeway chase as if seeing it for the first time.
Although told from multiple points of view, the story is mainly told from former high school teacher, Willow Stone, who is grieving the loss of her son and finds a clue tying him to the island. Once she gets to the island, its strange inhabitants lead her to more questions than answers. One person dying to get off the island and not buying into the superstitions is high schooler Lily Becker, who becomes close with Willow.
One thriller trope I'm not a fan of is the unreliable narrator and while Lily may not have matched this description to a T, her past experiences may have made her more susceptible to supernatural experiences. I found a lot of Lily's actions to be questionable and while the author was showing us how grief can make us desperate, I question whether it would make us stupid, putting ourselves in danger.
I also get really sick of authors' portrayals of anything church related. He made the townspeople seem small minded and gullible and the church pastor as a cult leader with unlimited power. This kind of portrayal has been used so much that it's not bringing anything new or interesting to the table.
While I liked this story, I felt like the supernatural piece really didn't work that well.
Although told from multiple points of view, the story is mainly told from former high school teacher, Willow Stone, who is grieving the loss of her son and finds a clue tying him to the island. Once she gets to the island, its strange inhabitants lead her to more questions than answers. One person dying to get off the island and not buying into the superstitions is high schooler Lily Becker, who becomes close with Willow.
One thriller trope I'm not a fan of is the unreliable narrator and while Lily may not have matched this description to a T, her past experiences may have made her more susceptible to supernatural experiences. I found a lot of Lily's actions to be questionable and while the author was showing us how grief can make us desperate, I question whether it would make us stupid, putting ourselves in danger.
I also get really sick of authors' portrayals of anything church related. He made the townspeople seem small minded and gullible and the church pastor as a cult leader with unlimited power. This kind of portrayal has been used so much that it's not bringing anything new or interesting to the table.
While I liked this story, I felt like the supernatural piece really didn't work that well.
I am banning myself from books that are about islands that contain a supernatural being. So far I’m 0 for 837378282.
I loved this totally unique horror book! The setting, the characters, the plot were all so well done. It was weird and quirky which is what I love in a horror. Definitely one I'll remember plus add in 90's references and you got me!
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:
No
Listened to the audio and I think k that actually made wit way creepier than reading the book. Overall, very good debut but some major plot holes and slow pieces. I really loved when all the parts came together but the documentary type style wasn’t well executed.