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lost_page's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Murder
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When 3 students and a teacher go missing one night, one of their best friends, Nora, and the mysterious boy James, get pulled into an old town myth, the Goddess Game.
Well, I found the book partly predictable. I figured out what was up with the connection to the old game, or who was now in the story was connected to it pretty easily.
There were some good parts, like the interesting twist as to why these particular people disappeared, and what exactly was going on with Becca being a bit harder to guess.
I didn't like the "evil Goddess" thing. It's an anti-Pagan trope that rubs me the wrong way, even though I do not identify as Pagan.
Overall, the book wasn't terrible, it was just a bit too anti-Pagan and predictable for me. Though at least it wasn't preachy it was more overall anti-religion.
Narrator Rating: 4 stars
The narrator was excellent but not spectacular. Her voice can also be a bit annoying at certain points; it just depends on her tone.
Elemental Levels: Heartfelt-3/5 Mystery-3/5 Predictability-3.5/5 Suspense-1/5 Tear- 2.5/5 Thrill-1/5
Well, I found the book partly predictable. I figured out what was up with the connection to the old game, or who was now in the story was connected to it pretty easily.
There were some good parts, like the interesting twist as to why these particular people disappeared, and what exactly was going on with Becca being a bit harder to guess.
I didn't like the "evil Goddess" thing. It's an anti-Pagan trope that rubs me the wrong way, even though I do not identify as Pagan.
Overall, the book wasn't terrible, it was just a bit too anti-Pagan and predictable for me. Though at least it wasn't preachy it was more overall anti-religion.
Narrator Rating: 4 stars
The narrator was excellent but not spectacular. Her voice can also be a bit annoying at certain points; it just depends on her tone.
Elemental Levels: Heartfelt-3/5 Mystery-3/5 Predictability-3.5/5 Suspense-1/5 Tear- 2.5/5 Thrill-1/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Mass/school shootings
gingermouse's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I read this as an ARC.
It was a slog. The full first 3/4ths of the book essentially nothing happens.
The first chapter is all 4 of the people disappearing, by the time the book gets to the adult who disappeared you've forgotten they existed in the first place.
The metaphors are liberal and try too hard, the long strings of adjectives are the same. Things that really need describing are not described or are but too late in the story- well after the point you've mentally created an image of your own. The MCs appearances come later in the book but the love interests car is described in detail before that.
The Goddess game that the entire book is premised on doesn't make sense and is never explained, the supernatural element doesnt really appear until 2/3rds of the way through. It also isn't explained at all, even at the end. It feels like several times the story is trying for mystery and false leads but it falls pretty flat.
The Love interest is forced and unconvincing and seems to only be there because its a YA novel set in a high school. So of course there has to be a love interest. It adds nothing at all to the story. And franklythe ending of the book being a kiss between Nora and James is a let down
Several chapters towards the end fully switch to a previously largely undeveloped side character, who is mentioned by name maybe a couple of times before that and has maybe one scene with the protagonist. Then once their plot point is leveraged they are written completely out with no real explanation or consequence.
The disappearances are never properly explained nor dealt withthe main character- Nora, apparently posessed, disappears three people and presumably kills them. It is never explained how they disappear, where the bodies go and why Nora is never caught. Nor why investigation isnt more enthusiastic. Becca, the second MC also disappears bodily, which is more or less glossed over as well. The disappeared people are supposedly evil but their stories are intensely shallow and their crimes- aside from the sexual predator teacher- are never properly explained. One of them is a 14 year old child bully (?) With unspecified crimes that lead to a 17 year old Becca deciciding she must be killed. The last one is a 17 year old boy who said some stuff online, i think the author might be alluding to a planned school shooting but thats a guess.
There is liberal use of dissassociation throughout, which is tied to the demonic possession but a lot of which just goes unexplained. In fact only one incident is explained as the initial posesssion and subsequent disappearances and the reason Nora loses her memory then is because the demon wipes it for her, not because she disassociates. The remaining incidents are not explained. It feels like a lazy way to segue to the next event or show that Nora is possessed. In several such incidents the demon uses this time to dress Nora or half put lipstick on her instead of doing anything interesting. At the end it is shown that the demon can choose to take full control of Nora and does so at points, yet for the majority of the time Nora remains in control and ultimately is able to do something to oust the demon. And the demon allows it.
I almost DNFd this several times throughout. Especially in chapter 19 when the author opts to use the word "worser", which is a word but it is archaic and feels wrong. Worse or worst would have been fine, this really hammered home the overuse of a thesaurus and the flowery unnecessary language throughout. Which for me, pulled me frequently out of the story.
All in all there are gaping plot holes, the ending is unsatisfying, this book is at least half too long and does not live up to its potential.
There are some possibly feminist themes but they aren't well visited or fleshed out.
I finished it to see if anything was explained and not only were most things not but other stuff continued to happen without satisfactory explanationwhere was Beccas body that whole time and how did it get there? Where did the possessed teacher go and how was she never caught? Why was the stabbed to death principal just accepted and nothing further done? What even was the demon really, where did it come from and why did it appear around the time of patties murder? .
This book isn't a horror or a supernatural thriller in reality. It's more a dark story about teenage friendship.
It was a slog. The full first 3/4ths of the book essentially nothing happens.
The first chapter is all 4 of the people disappearing, by the time the book gets to the adult who disappeared you've forgotten they existed in the first place.
The metaphors are liberal and try too hard, the long strings of adjectives are the same. Things that really need describing are not described or are but too late in the story- well after the point you've mentally created an image of your own. The MCs appearances come later in the book but the love interests car is described in detail before that.
The Goddess game that the entire book is premised on doesn't make sense and is never explained, the supernatural element doesnt really appear until 2/3rds of the way through. It also isn't explained at all, even at the end. It feels like several times the story is trying for mystery and false leads but it falls pretty flat.
The Love interest is forced and unconvincing and seems to only be there because its a YA novel set in a high school. So of course there has to be a love interest. It adds nothing at all to the story. And frankly
Several chapters towards the end fully switch to a previously largely undeveloped side character, who is mentioned by name maybe a couple of times before that and has maybe one scene with the protagonist. Then once their plot point is leveraged they are written completely out with no real explanation or consequence.
The disappearances are never properly explained nor dealt with
There is liberal use of dissassociation throughout, which is tied to the demonic possession but a lot of which just goes unexplained. In fact only one incident is explained as the initial posesssion and subsequent disappearances and the reason Nora loses her memory then is because the demon wipes it for her, not because she disassociates. The remaining incidents are not explained. It feels like a lazy way to segue to the next event or show that Nora is possessed. In several such incidents the demon uses this time to dress Nora or half put lipstick on her instead of doing anything interesting. At the end it is shown that the demon can choose to take full control of Nora and does so at points, yet for the majority of the time Nora remains in control and ultimately is able to do something to oust the demon. And the demon allows it.
I almost DNFd this several times throughout. Especially in chapter 19 when the author opts to use the word "worser", which is a word but it is archaic and feels wrong. Worse or worst would have been fine, this really hammered home the overuse of a thesaurus and the flowery unnecessary language throughout. Which for me, pulled me frequently out of the story.
All in all there are gaping plot holes, the ending is unsatisfying, this book is at least half too long and does not live up to its potential.
There are some possibly feminist themes but they aren't well visited or fleshed out.
I finished it to see if anything was explained and not only were most things not but other stuff continued to happen without satisfactory explanation
This book isn't a horror or a supernatural thriller in reality. It's more a dark story about teenage friendship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment