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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
2.5 stars! (rounded up for Goodreads)
Thank you so much to the author for sending all 7 of us Night Worms copies of this book all the way from Ireland to read & review honestly.
Something about O'Connor's natural storytelling ability is extremely compelling. This novella is about 150 pages long and I'd say for the first 75 pages or so, I was hooked in and swept up in such a way that doesn't happen very often. I'd even go as far as to describe it as having the words on the page almost completely melt away and my reading experience feels like watching the events unfold--super addictive and engaging.
But then there were some jarring developments in the story that pulled me out of that target reading zone and I found myself questioning and laboring over the text.
The set up is great. A couple, Pregnant Erin and her baby daddy/boyfriend, Phillip have a toxic, abusive relationship. They take off on a little trip out to the woods to cool off after a very heated argument. Once they get out there, they realize they're having car troubles and from there--the suspense builds to a delicious crescendo.
But the backside of the action is where the story lost some credibility and some traction for me. There's a character introduced that basically has so little backstory and purpose, I was completely unsure as to why I would even care about his involvement.
And then there are a few typos that stood out (probably because I was pulled back out of that honeymoon phase I experienced early on-when I'm engaged, I have a tendancy to not even see that stuff). Then, once things begin to transition to a new location, I started picking up on some discrepancies, weak plot holes and some believability/authenticity issues that bothered me. I didn't care for the ending. So unfortunately, the first half was excellent and the back half needed a lot of editing and restructuring. But I see HUGE amounts of natural talent and ability so I hope this author keeps writing and releasing new material. I'd gladly try again.
We need more quality werewolf novels.
Thank you so much to the author for sending all 7 of us Night Worms copies of this book all the way from Ireland to read & review honestly.
Something about O'Connor's natural storytelling ability is extremely compelling. This novella is about 150 pages long and I'd say for the first 75 pages or so, I was hooked in and swept up in such a way that doesn't happen very often. I'd even go as far as to describe it as having the words on the page almost completely melt away and my reading experience feels like watching the events unfold--super addictive and engaging.
But then there were some jarring developments in the story that pulled me out of that target reading zone and I found myself questioning and laboring over the text.
The set up is great. A couple, Pregnant Erin and her baby daddy/boyfriend, Phillip have a toxic, abusive relationship. They take off on a little trip out to the woods to cool off after a very heated argument. Once they get out there, they realize they're having car troubles and from there--the suspense builds to a delicious crescendo.
But the backside of the action is where the story lost some credibility and some traction for me. There's a character introduced that basically has so little backstory and purpose, I was completely unsure as to why I would even care about his involvement.
And then there are a few typos that stood out (probably because I was pulled back out of that honeymoon phase I experienced early on-when I'm engaged, I have a tendancy to not even see that stuff). Then, once things begin to transition to a new location, I started picking up on some discrepancies, weak plot holes and some believability/authenticity issues that bothered me. I didn't care for the ending. So unfortunately, the first half was excellent and the back half needed a lot of editing and restructuring. But I see HUGE amounts of natural talent and ability so I hope this author keeps writing and releasing new material. I'd gladly try again.
We need more quality werewolf novels.
I have not read many werewolf/wolf books. I need and want to add more creature features to my 2019 reading list; that is definitely a goal of mine! And if the rest are anything like The Mongrel then I know I am in for quite a treat! While this book/novella was short in pages, it was packed with some intense scenes. The isolation, entrapment, and claustrophobia elements were all too real for me here. There are some modern day Cujo vibes here and I am loving it!
There are only a few characters in this story and the author did a great job at establishing who they all are and their relationships with one another. (Trigger warnings for domestic abuse IF you need to be warned). My only complaint here is that I wish I could have had even more character development - as in I would like to know what peoples' relationships were more in depth BEFORE the story took place, if that makes any sense at all. However, I do not think wanting more from a novella is any sort of new ask from me or a lot of other readers. A good novella always leaves me thirsty for more!
This book had a couple twists/turns that took me by surprise as well. It's not TOO often that I can get totally thrown around without any idea of the truth, and this story happened to be one of them.
4 stars from me! Thank you to the author for sending this book to the Night Worms in exchange for an honest review! I am looking forward to reading more of this author for sure and recommend everyone take some time to check this novella out and get introduced to O'Connor! He belongs on your bookshelves!
There are only a few characters in this story and the author did a great job at establishing who they all are and their relationships with one another. (Trigger warnings for domestic abuse IF you need to be warned). My only complaint here is that I wish I could have had even more character development - as in I would like to know what peoples' relationships were more in depth BEFORE the story took place, if that makes any sense at all. However, I do not think wanting more from a novella is any sort of new ask from me or a lot of other readers. A good novella always leaves me thirsty for more!
This book had a couple twists/turns that took me by surprise as well. It's not TOO often that I can get totally thrown around without any idea of the truth, and this story happened to be one of them.
4 stars from me! Thank you to the author for sending this book to the Night Worms in exchange for an honest review! I am looking forward to reading more of this author for sure and recommend everyone take some time to check this novella out and get introduced to O'Connor! He belongs on your bookshelves!
"Under a full moon, man can be driven to lunacy."
The Mongrel is the debut novella from Sean O'Connor, and I received a copy to review for Nightworms. I had some mixed feelings on it, but I felt pretty positive overall by the end.
It was difficult to read some of the gaslighting and abuse scenes, particularly abuse of a pregnant woman, so just a warning that it's a factor in this book. I felt like there was a lot of focus on it for such a short novella, and that we could have still grasped the characters' relationship if more attention would have been put elsewhere. I have some more thoughts on it that I can't really say without spoiling anything, so I'm just going to leave it alone.
There was a bit of overkill with certain words - the characters called each other "babe" non-stop, which I found distracting and frustrating after a while, and the main character seems to refer to any guy around her as an "alpha male". I get why it's there because there are wolves in the book, too, but it was hard to sympathize with Erin sometimes when she found all controlling men to be endearing.
After the story has built up a bit, it gets very intense, and this is where I was hooked. The writing in the middle of the book is very well done - it's incredibly suspenseful, and I stayed up later than intended so I could finish the book. It's fairly descriptive, and I'll definitely remember it whether I want to or not.
I feel like at some point too many storylines got tangled together. As I said before, a lot of the focus was on the abusive relationship, and some of these other side stories could have been expanded. This book is partially a creature feature, but the creatures play such a minimal role. The concept of the story was intriguing overall, but I feel like there was just too much packed in (especially in the second half).
Although I had some issues, I did like The Mongrel overall. The author is a good storyteller (especially for suspense scenes), but I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had a little more structure. I would try another book from this author. Thank you for sending copies to the Nightworms!
The Mongrel is the debut novella from Sean O'Connor, and I received a copy to review for Nightworms. I had some mixed feelings on it, but I felt pretty positive overall by the end.
It was difficult to read some of the gaslighting and abuse scenes, particularly abuse of a pregnant woman, so just a warning that it's a factor in this book. I felt like there was a lot of focus on it for such a short novella, and that we could have still grasped the characters' relationship if more attention would have been put elsewhere. I have some more thoughts on it that I can't really say without spoiling anything, so I'm just going to leave it alone.
There was a bit of overkill with certain words - the characters called each other "babe" non-stop, which I found distracting and frustrating after a while, and the main character seems to refer to any guy around her as an "alpha male". I get why it's there because there are wolves in the book, too, but it was hard to sympathize with Erin sometimes when she found all controlling men to be endearing.
After the story has built up a bit, it gets very intense, and this is where I was hooked. The writing in the middle of the book is very well done - it's incredibly suspenseful, and I stayed up later than intended so I could finish the book. It's fairly descriptive, and I'll definitely remember it whether I want to or not.
I feel like at some point too many storylines got tangled together. As I said before, a lot of the focus was on the abusive relationship, and some of these other side stories could have been expanded. This book is partially a creature feature, but the creatures play such a minimal role. The concept of the story was intriguing overall, but I feel like there was just too much packed in (especially in the second half).
Although I had some issues, I did like The Mongrel overall. The author is a good storyteller (especially for suspense scenes), but I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had a little more structure. I would try another book from this author. Thank you for sending copies to the Nightworms!
Thank you, Sean O'Connor for the free copy of The Mongrel in exchange for an honest review!
I cant recall if I've ever read a werewolf horror story before but this was a good start! It had just enough foreboding and cringy parts that of course I loved even though they made my stomach churn a bit. Some of the dialog was a bit awkward to me but O'Connor sure knows how to write a villain. I certainly hated Philip.
I cant recall if I've ever read a werewolf horror story before but this was a good start! It had just enough foreboding and cringy parts that of course I loved even though they made my stomach churn a bit. Some of the dialog was a bit awkward to me but O'Connor sure knows how to write a villain. I certainly hated Philip.
I’ve wanted to read The Mongrel since @jobis89 first posted about it, so when @soconnorauthor posted that only a few first edition paperback copies were still available, I officially broke my self-imposed book buying ban for the first time this year. It came in today’s mail, and as soon as my tiny human was in bed, I started reading and didn’t move until I finished.
It was a very quick read, due only in part to the actual length of the novella. The pace is perfect, jumping into the meat of the story immediately and building tension with every sentence. Without spending pages on the back stories of Erin and Phil, O’Connor tells us everything we need to know about them in order to follow the events told here and get invested in their story.
Yes, their relationship is a bit cliche, but Erin is a perfectly written textbook example of a battered woman, so while it’s frustrating to see her staying, it is a very real portrayal. Her conflicting feelings are on display throughout the book, and come across as very accurate, as well. Erin is portrayed so beautifully, even in horrific moments, that you can’t help but love and admire her, even while recognizing her flaws.
While The Mongrel is a wonderfully written novella, I think it could have benefited from being a bit longer; the third part in particular felt rushed and there were so many ideas and events crammed in that they all felt somewhat shortchanged. However, the book overall was a great read, and I have every intention of reading whatever Sean O’Connor writes in the future.
It was a very quick read, due only in part to the actual length of the novella. The pace is perfect, jumping into the meat of the story immediately and building tension with every sentence. Without spending pages on the back stories of Erin and Phil, O’Connor tells us everything we need to know about them in order to follow the events told here and get invested in their story.
Yes, their relationship is a bit cliche, but Erin is a perfectly written textbook example of a battered woman, so while it’s frustrating to see her staying, it is a very real portrayal. Her conflicting feelings are on display throughout the book, and come across as very accurate, as well. Erin is portrayed so beautifully, even in horrific moments, that you can’t help but love and admire her, even while recognizing her flaws.
While The Mongrel is a wonderfully written novella, I think it could have benefited from being a bit longer; the third part in particular felt rushed and there were so many ideas and events crammed in that they all felt somewhat shortchanged. However, the book overall was a great read, and I have every intention of reading whatever Sean O’Connor writes in the future.
Following yet another argument, Erin and Philip decide to go on a drive up to Erin's favourite place as a child, the Wicklow Mountains. With a blizzard on the way, the couple are left with no fuel and so Philip heads off for help, leaving his pregnant fiancee alone.
This was such a compelling novella! O’Connor’s writing is very engaging and his dialogue between the characters felt very real – especially the different phrases used by the Irish characters (I would know *smug face*). I really want to say as little as possible with regards to plot, as there are a few twists and turns that I just really didn't see coming - and all readers should go in knowing very little.
If you’re a fan of tales of survival and strong female protagonists (or rather a female that finds her strength during a very stressful and terrifying ordeal) then this one is definitely worth picking up! There’s quite a vivid birth scene in here that was in equal parts beautiful and giving me major anxiety… you can tell that O’Connor did his research to get the details just right.
A common complaint with me when it comes to novellas is that I just wanted more. In this instance I maybe would have liked a bit more background about certain events? But I am particularly greedy when it comes to novellas/short stories!! All in all, a really well-written horror novella, and I will look forward to future work from this author!
3.5 stars.
This was such a compelling novella! O’Connor’s writing is very engaging and his dialogue between the characters felt very real – especially the different phrases used by the Irish characters (I would know *smug face*). I really want to say as little as possible with regards to plot, as there are a few twists and turns that I just really didn't see coming - and all readers should go in knowing very little.
If you’re a fan of tales of survival and strong female protagonists (or rather a female that finds her strength during a very stressful and terrifying ordeal) then this one is definitely worth picking up! There’s quite a vivid birth scene in here that was in equal parts beautiful and giving me major anxiety… you can tell that O’Connor did his research to get the details just right.
A common complaint with me when it comes to novellas is that I just wanted more. In this instance I maybe would have liked a bit more background about certain events? But I am particularly greedy when it comes to novellas/short stories!! All in all, a really well-written horror novella, and I will look forward to future work from this author!
3.5 stars.