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ruminations_reverie's review
3.0
2.5 rounded up.
This was rather disappointing for me. It started at a high point with the prologue, but once the sibling dynamics came in as a defining feature of the story it really fell flat.
This set of siblings, Nell and Jonah, just don't feel authentic and I couldn't connect with them. That is to say that I just didn't care about them...at all. The two POVs, because they spent a lot of time together, just didn't feel necessary. I think 3rd person omniscient might have worked out better or just one POV as Nell and one POV as Anna could work in its favor, but the perspective from Terry was absolutely worthless. I don't mind him as a character, but it just didn't feel like viewing the story from his perspective made sense.
The story had these intense horror elements, these apocalyptic visions and the descriptions of the body horror, that were fantastic, but they were few and far between. The other pieces of the novel where we are trying to figure out this strange sibling relationship through anger and forgiveness didn't jive with me. Look, I love a deeply emotional sibling story that resolves itself through the shared trauma, but these two didn't fit the mold. They just weren't relatable or emotionally impactful.
Overall the book was ok. The plot setup was great, but the execution could have been better. At the beginning I was getting a lot of "The Library at Mt. Char" vibes, but those quickly disappeared and I was left with a watered down story that lost its appeal after the 1st third and I didn't care for the ending. I think for fans of demon/possession stories there is something to love about the lore here, but just be prepared that the family dynamics could get in the way a little.
This was rather disappointing for me. It started at a high point with the prologue, but once the sibling dynamics came in as a defining feature of the story it really fell flat.
This set of siblings, Nell and Jonah, just don't feel authentic and I couldn't connect with them. That is to say that I just didn't care about them...at all. The two POVs, because they spent a lot of time together, just didn't feel necessary. I think 3rd person omniscient might have worked out better or just one POV as Nell and one POV as Anna could work in its favor, but the perspective from Terry was absolutely worthless. I don't mind him as a character, but it just didn't feel like viewing the story from his perspective made sense.
The story had these intense horror elements, these apocalyptic visions and the descriptions of the body horror, that were fantastic, but they were few and far between. The other pieces of the novel where we are trying to figure out this strange sibling relationship through anger and forgiveness didn't jive with me. Look, I love a deeply emotional sibling story that resolves itself through the shared trauma, but these two didn't fit the mold. They just weren't relatable or emotionally impactful.
Overall the book was ok. The plot setup was great, but the execution could have been better. At the beginning I was getting a lot of "The Library at Mt. Char" vibes, but those quickly disappeared and I was left with a watered down story that lost its appeal after the 1st third and I didn't care for the ending. I think for fans of demon/possession stories there is something to love about the lore here, but just be prepared that the family dynamics could get in the way a little.
tashasreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
katybugggg's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jrutledge13's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
aundreaspencer's review
DNF at 65%... Are we there yet? Nope. Never. This is a never-ending road trip from hell, fraught with some of the most frustrating dialogue between two people to ever exist. Nell sucks big time.
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
5.0
Gory and imaginative, A Black and Endless Sky succeeds on so many levels. Life hasn’t been easy for the Talbot siblings. Life, marriage, and escaping the past is constantly tugging at the seams of their existence. Jonah is freshly divorced after his marriage ended without fault but with something always feeling amiss. He heads on a road trip from San Francisco to New Mexico and invites his estranged sister, Nell, along for the ride. Old wounds will be repaired, and relationships will be mended, or will they encounter something they didn’t plan for?
Firstly, the novel depicts a dig that encounters something unprecedented and as a lifelong horror fan you know that isn’t going to end well. Think scenes in The Exorcist – that’s exactly where my mind went. As Jonah and Nell embark on their journey we see desolate landscapes morph into their biggest paranoia, the figures that always lie in their psyche, their burdens to bear. Very few novels have been able to nail home that impending sense of dread that you feel in A Black and Endless Sky – you will be consumed by shadow and only see the grey of the world.
I particularly enjoyed how Lyons compiled the chapters on how many miles they had travelled. It allows the reader to envisage the desolate nature of the landscape and the distance in which you can become unhinged with reality. I relished in the pleasure I felt in not only getting to know the protagonists but also the landscape. The author’s resplendent writing ensured I was hooked for the long haul. It made me shudder. The journey, the motels, the petrol stations, the Volvo – it all took a life of its own and each revealed deadly secrets.
The story interweaves humanity and the supernatural exquisitely well. The narratives are explored by the three predominant characters, Jonah, Nell, and Anna. Each of them has experienced things that would break and crack open the strongest of people. They each explore the impact of demons, abuse, and pain. The siblings live different lives and struggle to understand the core of who the other is, but they are determined to get back on track with each other. Their love for one another comes alive from the pages – we feel the hope, the despair, and the determination to make it through this – alive.
This was a story that threw me for a loop. It was gory, and everything cosmic horror should deem to be. The character development was second to none, one of the best I’ve read lately, and can’t wait to read more from this seriously talented author. Be prepared for a biker gang with a vendetta against the siblings, Anna, a sin-eater who would scare the crap out of any horror movie villain, and a love that will test the constraints of reality and truth.
Firstly, the novel depicts a dig that encounters something unprecedented and as a lifelong horror fan you know that isn’t going to end well. Think scenes in The Exorcist – that’s exactly where my mind went. As Jonah and Nell embark on their journey we see desolate landscapes morph into their biggest paranoia, the figures that always lie in their psyche, their burdens to bear. Very few novels have been able to nail home that impending sense of dread that you feel in A Black and Endless Sky – you will be consumed by shadow and only see the grey of the world.
I particularly enjoyed how Lyons compiled the chapters on how many miles they had travelled. It allows the reader to envisage the desolate nature of the landscape and the distance in which you can become unhinged with reality. I relished in the pleasure I felt in not only getting to know the protagonists but also the landscape. The author’s resplendent writing ensured I was hooked for the long haul. It made me shudder. The journey, the motels, the petrol stations, the Volvo – it all took a life of its own and each revealed deadly secrets.
The story interweaves humanity and the supernatural exquisitely well. The narratives are explored by the three predominant characters, Jonah, Nell, and Anna. Each of them has experienced things that would break and crack open the strongest of people. They each explore the impact of demons, abuse, and pain. The siblings live different lives and struggle to understand the core of who the other is, but they are determined to get back on track with each other. Their love for one another comes alive from the pages – we feel the hope, the despair, and the determination to make it through this – alive.
This was a story that threw me for a loop. It was gory, and everything cosmic horror should deem to be. The character development was second to none, one of the best I’ve read lately, and can’t wait to read more from this seriously talented author. Be prepared for a biker gang with a vendetta against the siblings, Anna, a sin-eater who would scare the crap out of any horror movie villain, and a love that will test the constraints of reality and truth.
ssousaa's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
yami_98's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vinedrinker1234x's review
1.0
Very B movie like story, with too many brawls, expositions, bad dialogue and paper-mache characters. The good thing is that's the one which is so bad that is funny. But that's all of the pros.