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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
4.5 stars, only because the parallel to female disempowerment is so real and depressing. The visuals and storytelling are great. And I liked her decision at the end, although I wish we had some idea that she was better prepared. Perhaps that is part of the author's intent. I don't hate that, I just feel for Addy is all.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
I liked this more than Crossroads because it felt more like what I imagine horror to be, but the ending left me feeling a little underwhelmed.
this was written at the 14 year old fanfic level but i stuck it out bc mothman horror novel funny !! i got the same satisfaction from it as i would from watching a really bad horror film that took itself too seriously. i also did not gaf about this marriage/romance/divorce subplot!!! girl give me the mothman content!!!! anyway if i had been the protag this would've been a romance <3
This is a relentless survival creature feature with some really great twists. First, there's a lot of ambiguity and unresolved elements that will likely drive some readers nuts. It didn't bother me, because the story's spine is the main character's emotional arc and that felt complete to me.
It didn't move me the way that her other book Crossroads did, but this is a very different kind of book. This is more throwing a character in a wild scenario that just gets more off the rails as it continues. What it delivers is bonkers monster stuff with some fun discoveries. It completely succeeds in what it sets out to do.
The only thing that kind of bugged me is that the character is a horror fan, going to a horror convention, so there's a bit of meta self-referencing in it that pulled me out of it occasionally. But I get it. It feels fair that a real person might compare themselves to their perception of fictional characters in an imperiled supernatural situation. It just felt a bit precious. Still not enough to make me dislike the read in any way.
It didn't move me the way that her other book Crossroads did, but this is a very different kind of book. This is more throwing a character in a wild scenario that just gets more off the rails as it continues. What it delivers is bonkers monster stuff with some fun discoveries. It completely succeeds in what it sets out to do.
The only thing that kind of bugged me is that the character is a horror fan, going to a horror convention, so there's a bit of meta self-referencing in it that pulled me out of it occasionally. But I get it. It feels fair that a real person might compare themselves to their perception of fictional characters in an imperiled supernatural situation. It just felt a bit precious. Still not enough to make me dislike the read in any way.
“Came outta nowhere, didn’t it?”
A very full 124 pages. I love it when novellas pack a big punch and take few prisoners. That is to say: this story started fast and ended agreeably! A mark of success, regarding novellas, is plot branching that doesn’t leave readers unfulfilled: Hightower introduced depth without dissatisfaction. Not to mention, the story is simply scary, and you can’t go wrong with that.
There was enough going on that if Hightower had built in any more plot arcs, it would have been a messier table. The inherent challenge in shorter fiction is creating impact within space and, often times, authors can tend to “and then and then and then” of a breathless toddler telling a story. Not so much here, but, there were some loose threads left unsnipped.
3.5/5 In general, as a society, collectively, we should be hornier for Mothman, but this just wasn’t that type of book.
A very full 124 pages. I love it when novellas pack a big punch and take few prisoners. That is to say: this story started fast and ended agreeably! A mark of success, regarding novellas, is plot branching that doesn’t leave readers unfulfilled: Hightower introduced depth without dissatisfaction. Not to mention, the story is simply scary, and you can’t go wrong with that.
There was enough going on that if Hightower had built in any more plot arcs, it would have been a messier table. The inherent challenge in shorter fiction is creating impact within space and, often times, authors can tend to “and then and then and then” of a breathless toddler telling a story. Not so much here, but, there were some loose threads left unsnipped.
3.5/5 In general, as a society, collectively, we should be hornier for Mothman, but this just wasn’t that type of book.
That was tense! I would love to see this as a movie. Laurel Hightower avoids the pitfalls and delivers the goods. Satisfying ending that still leaves a lot of mystery. If you are familiar with Mothman lore, you need to pick this one up for sure!
…..still deciding on how I want to rate this novella.
Update;
What the hell was up with that ending? Like legitimately, WHAT. THE. HELL. Laurel really had me loving this whole vibe until the end.
Update;
What the hell was up with that ending? Like legitimately, WHAT. THE. HELL. Laurel really had me loving this whole vibe until the end.