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quetzi's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
booksasmeals's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely love books about twins-- especially evil twins, and this book tops all that I've read. I had to put it down after about 50 pages for some disturbing images that were provoked about the first twin. HOWEVER, after a few days, the book sat on my bookshelf and whispered to me. I had to continue and push on!
In all of Michael McDowell's books that I've read, there's been a prologue and an epilogue. DON'T SKIP THESE OVER! He actually uses these correctly and they create two wonderful bookends to the story. I've now read 3 of his books, and I can't wait to read more.
Thank you Valancourt Books for making it possible to find this title!
In all of Michael McDowell's books that I've read, there's been a prologue and an epilogue. DON'T SKIP THESE OVER! He actually uses these correctly and they create two wonderful bookends to the story. I've now read 3 of his books, and I can't wait to read more.
Thank you Valancourt Books for making it possible to find this title!
kateapatton's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
It was another late night in Char's house! I hit a certain point in this book and knew I wasn't going to be putting it down again until I was done.
In a suburb of Boston a woman gives birth to twin girls in an ugly tenement. She insists the midwife pierce their ears and insert a small ruby earring in each. A few hours later the mother is dead and the twins separated, each without any knowledge of the other. This is the tale of how their separate lives eventually collide.
This book is quick reading and has lots of down 'n' dirty 80's fun. The singles bar scene in Boston back then was sometimes seedy and this book does not flinch away from that. At first I thought that Blood Rubies celebrated that seediness, but it turned out I was WAY off on that. I couldn't think of a better warning away from it than this story. Times have changed a lot since then, but for women, the truth is always the same in a singles bar-be wary and be careful.
The last quarter of this book flew by in a blur and the ending hit me like a truck. I was thrown into the air, across the road, and tossed in a heap onto the edge of the asphalt. (At least, that's what it felt like.) I still can't believe it! This book is a perfect example of McDowell's writing-his observations of the inner workings of family-the jealousies and resentments, the love and the hate, all the petty emotions-he knows them and writes about them in ways that- inside yourself? You know are true. And THIS, this is what made McDowell great.
Highly recommended for fans of 80's horror!
*My intention was to try to stretch this book out, but I just couldn't do it. This is the last dark fiction book written by Michael McDowell and brought back by Valancourt Books. That's it. I'm so sad about that, I can't even find the words to describe how I feel. If it weren't for Valancourt, I probably never would have been able to read McDowell's work since all of it was out of print or ridiculously expensive. So a HUGE thanks goes out to them for turning me on to him. He's now one of my favorite authors of all time. *
**Thanks again to Valancourt for providing this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *
In a suburb of Boston a woman gives birth to twin girls in an ugly tenement. She insists the midwife pierce their ears and insert a small ruby earring in each. A few hours later the mother is dead and the twins separated, each without any knowledge of the other. This is the tale of how their separate lives eventually collide.
This book is quick reading and has lots of down 'n' dirty 80's fun. The singles bar scene in Boston back then was sometimes seedy and this book does not flinch away from that. At first I thought that Blood Rubies celebrated that seediness, but it turned out I was WAY off on that. I couldn't think of a better warning away from it than this story. Times have changed a lot since then, but for women, the truth is always the same in a singles bar-be wary and be careful.
The last quarter of this book flew by in a blur and the ending hit me like a truck. I was thrown into the air, across the road, and tossed in a heap onto the edge of the asphalt. (At least, that's what it felt like.) I still can't believe it! This book is a perfect example of McDowell's writing-his observations of the inner workings of family-the jealousies and resentments, the love and the hate, all the petty emotions-he knows them and writes about them in ways that- inside yourself? You know are true. And THIS, this is what made McDowell great.
Highly recommended for fans of 80's horror!
*My intention was to try to stretch this book out, but I just couldn't do it. This is the last dark fiction book written by Michael McDowell and brought back by Valancourt Books. That's it. I'm so sad about that, I can't even find the words to describe how I feel. If it weren't for Valancourt, I probably never would have been able to read McDowell's work since all of it was out of print or ridiculously expensive. So a HUGE thanks goes out to them for turning me on to him. He's now one of my favorite authors of all time. *
**Thanks again to Valancourt for providing this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *
zgriptsuroica's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual violence
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