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perfectsham's review
Came for the cosmic horror, but there was none. Just a couple of arsehole main characters that I wanted to die horrible deaths from almost page 1. I've never been so happy for a main character to get punched in the face. Are we supposed to care if the worst person in the world, Nell, gets killed by bikers? Because I was on the bikers side from the start.
paoakalani's review
dark
emotional
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
3.0
hauntedpostalworker's review
5.0
Brutal, dark, and violent with all too real tender moments sprinkled throughout, A Black and Endless Sky tells the story of a brother and sister on a road trip where everything goes wrong, and the lengths that we go through to protect the ones that we love.
precioussantiago's review
4.0
Wow-that was a wild ride! I am still recovering from this road trip gone wrong.
This read like a Stephen King novel, in this moment I cannot pinpoint why exactly, but maybe in time once I process more of my reading experience I’ll be able to articulate the reasons why it read like a King novel ( I just finished this book an hour ago). This is a fast paced, action packed, well-paced book-it really kept me absorbed in the story and I was very invested in these characters.
Synopsis:
In this story we follow Nell and Jonah, a bad ass brother and sister duo on a road trip back to their childhood home to Albuquerque, NM. During their journey the two encounter some pretty unusual circumstances and otherworldly entities and thus chaos ensues. This is a bare bones synopsis, this book is so much more-but I would suggest going in with as little info as possible, I definitely think this will enhance the reading experience.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the setting-a road trip through the desert, the story was atmospheric and I could visualize the seedy bars, hotels, and restaurants. I also really enjoyed the exploration of the brother and sister relationship, it was very heartfelt and complex. I could relate in many ways to their relationship, it’s a familial dynamic we don’t have enough of in books and I was here for it. There is also some cosmic horror in this story, but it was pretty light in my opinion. As someone who is not a fan of cosmic horror in my books, this story was not really saturated with it, which is probably why it didn’t bother me as much.
Something that stuck out to me was the fact that we never really got an explanation of the “entity” in the story. We get this brief intro at the start of the book, but that’s pretty much it. I am not sure if I missed something along the way, but I kind of felt like there was no deep dive/origin story. Which I didn’t so much mind, because again I am not a fan of cosmic horror, but I think if you are this may be bother you. Also I felt like the “Anna” character in the story and her purpose didn’t really serve much purpose to the story line or move the story along, but her parts were pretty entertaining.
Overall I would recommend this book-after reading this I can’t say I am sold on cosmic horror-but I will definitely pick up more from this author, his writing is really good.
Thanks to #netgalley and #Dreamscape Media for an advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review.
cmcrockford's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A really strong gritty horror thriller about cycles of violence that luckily also features descriptions worthy of an 80s gore fest and cosmic horror both. Also a biker gang is featured, always cool.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Grief, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Violence, Alcohol, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Torture
amandaannpanda's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gah3278's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
becka4702's review against another edition
This just isn’t for me. I’ve read one other book by this author, and though it wasn’t my favorite I wanted to give this one a try. I’m having the same issue I did with his other book; the characters. There is no amount of character growth that will make me like them. The concept seems cool, but I just can’t get on board with these characters.