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moo_shea's review
dark
slow-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
3.0
xsassypants's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
daiareads's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
exhaustedtech's review
5.0
Robin gets hired to restore a stained glass window in a thirteenth century church, bad shit happens.
Ok….I love this book. We are just going to come out with that.
The pacing in it is great, it reads like a movie, and I love it.
Everything is covered, Robin taking the job, weird things happening, her investigating the church, more weird things, her obsessive curiosity with the stained glass mural and the need to finish it, and more weirdness.
Robin has some family drama that has given her one hell of a bullshit meter, so she’s on the ball when something doesn’t sound right.
Now….the best part….the end.
I LOVE Lovecraft, I love the stories, but one thing I love the most are other’s interpretations of Lovecraft’s lore and the usage of it in new stories.
So when Nyarlathotep’s name popped up I got EXCITED. My fav creepy from that universe being used here? Hell yes.
The ending? Beautiful, what I would expect from cosmic horror.
Ok….I love this book. We are just going to come out with that.
The pacing in it is great, it reads like a movie, and I love it.
Everything is covered, Robin taking the job, weird things happening, her investigating the church, more weird things, her obsessive curiosity with the stained glass mural and the need to finish it, and more weirdness.
Robin has some family drama that has given her one hell of a bullshit meter, so she’s on the ball when something doesn’t sound right.
Now….the best part….the end.
I LOVE Lovecraft, I love the stories, but one thing I love the most are other’s interpretations of Lovecraft’s lore and the usage of it in new stories.
So when Nyarlathotep’s name popped up I got EXCITED. My fav creepy from that universe being used here? Hell yes.
The ending? Beautiful, what I would expect from cosmic horror.
georgesreads's review
3.0
A story you will want to fly through in a couple of hours, interwoven with a subtle backdrop of terror. In “Mosaic” McCarthy creates a consistently uneasy atmosphere, that consumes the reader further as the plot develops (at a lightning pace may I add.) There’s absolutely no gore, just pure psychological horror. Impressive.
Robin specialises in the restoration of windows and doors, and when she receives a letter from a Mr Johnathan Hargreaves requesting she works on a stained glass window, she is all too eager to take on the challenge. Upon her arrival, it becomes apparent that the project will be challenging, and everything about the dilapidated is just slightly wrong. From the church’s dark and mysterious background, to the hidden inscriptions on the walls- Robin becomes obsessed with unearthing the church’s secrets. To do so, she must face her personal demons, as well as one that it all too real.
Robin is an incredibly complex character, initially I found her repetitive references to her father annoying, however believe me, all becomes clear. Hargreaves and Lydia are also very complex, as well as a source of great suspicion and paranoia for both Robin and the reader.
The twists were very twisty indeed, however, I did find myself calling the very big one at the end, which was a bit of a let down, however I very much enjoyed the journey McCarthy took us on to get there. I won’t share the details with you, but has I not predicted the relevance of the background figures… I could easily picture this being a 5 star read.
As I said, there’s no gore at all here, and it’s very fast paced.. hence why I’d recommend this to teens wanting to get into reading horror.
Robin specialises in the restoration of windows and doors, and when she receives a letter from a Mr Johnathan Hargreaves requesting she works on a stained glass window, she is all too eager to take on the challenge. Upon her arrival, it becomes apparent that the project will be challenging, and everything about the dilapidated is just slightly wrong. From the church’s dark and mysterious background, to the hidden inscriptions on the walls- Robin becomes obsessed with unearthing the church’s secrets. To do so, she must face her personal demons, as well as one that it all too real.
Robin is an incredibly complex character, initially I found her repetitive references to her father annoying, however believe me, all becomes clear. Hargreaves and Lydia are also very complex, as well as a source of great suspicion and paranoia for both Robin and the reader.
The twists were very twisty indeed, however, I did find myself calling the very big one at the end, which was a bit of a let down, however I very much enjoyed the journey McCarthy took us on to get there. I won’t share the details with you, but has I not predicted the relevance of the background figures… I could easily picture this being a 5 star read.
As I said, there’s no gore at all here, and it’s very fast paced.. hence why I’d recommend this to teens wanting to get into reading horror.
smrw's review
3.0
This story has all of the right elements, but I found it boring. If it hadn't been a novella, I would not have finished it. 3 stars for the creepy atmosphere and the decent writing.
lattelibrarian's review
4.0
Whoaaa. This is so delightfully weird and spooky, slowly and achingly upping the ante until the final few pages where everything gets real weird. We can tell where we're going from the get-go, though we aren't quite sure, as readers, what the destination will be.
Robin is a stained glass artist, recently commissioned to restore an abandoned church's windows. The more she pieces together the glass and matches colors, the more she realizes that the church is not portraying a saint. It's portraying some sort of horned, long-tongued demon with milky-white eyes. Just what kind of church is this?
The ending is totally weird, totally transformative. Literally. Definitely a great read to hunker down with, including a warm blanket, heavy winds, and a hot pot of tea.
Robin is a stained glass artist, recently commissioned to restore an abandoned church's windows. The more she pieces together the glass and matches colors, the more she realizes that the church is not portraying a saint. It's portraying some sort of horned, long-tongued demon with milky-white eyes. Just what kind of church is this?
The ending is totally weird, totally transformative. Literally. Definitely a great read to hunker down with, including a warm blanket, heavy winds, and a hot pot of tea.
klaartjesmits's review
dark
mysterious
tense
4.5
In this cosmic/folk horror novella we follow Robin, a young woman who loves her quiet life as a stained glass artist. One day she receives a letter from the Chairman of Bilbury Parish Council asking if she wants to restore the stained glass window of an abandoned thirteenth-century church deep in the forest. Intrigued by the concept, she accepts the job. But soon Robin starts noticing something is off about the Chairman and the window she's working on...
What an incredibly well-written, creepy novella! From the start I felt a pervasive sense of dread that didn't stop until the end of the book. The premise itself is already very scary and atmospheric, but the way McCarthy fleshed it out made it even more so. There are many descriptions of the abandoned church, the graves and the forest surrounding them, and we follow the restoration of the stained glass window in detail. With each piece Robin puts back together the horror is gradually revealed as well. I loved the writing style a lot - the beautiful metaphors especially.
I also appreciate that Robin's childhood trauma was included in the story. She recently cut ties with her abusive parents but still often hears the voice of her narcissistic father in her head, telling her what she should and shouldn't do. It felt very realistic and gave an extra dimension to the story and the horror aspect.
My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit rushed to me. I think I would have been able to take everything in more if it was 5-10 pages longer. But I still love how unique the conclusion was (that's an understatement), and it will definitely stay with me for a long time!
I'm looking forward to reading McCarthy's other books, starting with Mists and Megaliths - a horror short story collection based on Welsh myths and legends!
Thank you to the author, to Dark Matter INK and to BookSirens for the (free) digital published copy!
What an incredibly well-written, creepy novella! From the start I felt a pervasive sense of dread that didn't stop until the end of the book. The premise itself is already very scary and atmospheric, but the way McCarthy fleshed it out made it even more so. There are many descriptions of the abandoned church, the graves and the forest surrounding them, and we follow the restoration of the stained glass window in detail. With each piece Robin puts back together the horror is gradually revealed as well. I loved the writing style a lot - the beautiful metaphors especially.
I also appreciate that Robin's childhood trauma was included in the story. She recently cut ties with her abusive parents but still often hears the voice of her narcissistic father in her head, telling her what she should and shouldn't do. It felt very realistic and gave an extra dimension to the story and the horror aspect.
My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit rushed to me. I think I would have been able to take everything in more if it was 5-10 pages longer. But I still love how unique the conclusion was (that's an understatement), and it will definitely stay with me for a long time!
I'm looking forward to reading McCarthy's other books, starting with Mists and Megaliths - a horror short story collection based on Welsh myths and legends!
Thank you to the author, to Dark Matter INK and to BookSirens for the (free) digital published copy!
hauntedorchid's review
5.0
When Robin is hired to restore an antique stained-glass window in an abandoned church, she's eager to take on the challenge. But as the window begins to take shape, she starts to suspect there might be something very... unsettling about it.
I absolutely loved this bitesize novella. The voice and atmosphere gripped me from the very first page and didn't let up the whole way through. Perfectly paced and imbued with a creeping sense of unease that will have you fearing what you're about to discover, yet unable to look away. And the ending! I won't say too much but it all slots together so perfectly, like a... well, like a mosaic. Don't be fooled by the slow burn: the horror is here, and it's waiting for you.
Thank you to Dark Hart Books for the free copy in return for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this bitesize novella. The voice and atmosphere gripped me from the very first page and didn't let up the whole way through. Perfectly paced and imbued with a creeping sense of unease that will have you fearing what you're about to discover, yet unable to look away. And the ending! I won't say too much but it all slots together so perfectly, like a... well, like a mosaic. Don't be fooled by the slow burn: the horror is here, and it's waiting for you.
Thank you to Dark Hart Books for the free copy in return for an honest review.