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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this book so much. So, so much, but every time something was explained that we already knew I contemplated closing it. I'm 76% positive that you could cut this book in half by only taking out un-needed parts and it would be soo much better if someone had done so.
I am shocked that this is so highly rated. The writing was boring and awkward. The story was so ridiculously fake and things fit too perfectly into place. It was cut and dry terrible. A better book with almost exactly the same story would be The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson. But instead of flowers, butterflies. And a much more realistic villain instead of a cheap Bates imitation.
Good storyline but the writing was a bit too simplistic for my taste. The ending felt odd to me as well — like it should have wrapped earlier in the book and the final chapters were a forced afterthought. I enjoyed it but not sure I could recommend it wholeheartedly.
I hated this. It started off interesting, but then every chapter turned into the same thing over and over again. Lily crying, Clover going crazy. Then add Lewis’ sappy chapters and it turned into a psychopath soap opera. Do NOT recommend.
Okay I really need to get this out, so I just will.
WARNING-I WILL BE COMPLETELY DESTROYING AND TEARING APART THIS BOOK. PLEASE DON'T THINK I AM INSULTING YOU IF I SAY SOMETHING NEGATIVE.
Alrighty, shall we begin?
We are introduced to Summer (AKA a 16 year old girl who cries nonstop, is completely incapable of thinking logically and is very very very annoying).
To say the least I found Summer to be a very weak character. These are things she did throughout the novel.
1.cry
2.cry again
3.cry even though the cellar is flooding from her tears
4. Thinking of Lewis calling her "baby"
5. crying
SUMMER WAS A CRYBABY. Yes, I understand the circumstances, she is trapped in cellar. But come on, by her 152783637th time crying I was about to kill her. She just wouldn't stop. Literally, every 10 or so pages, SHE WAS AT IT AGAIN. CRYING. What could she have been doing with all the time she wasted crying?
1. Finding a way to GET OUT OF THE CELLAR.
2. MAKING ANY SORT OF WEAPON.
3. Anything but releasing her tear ducts.
Also one of my most hated cliches happened regarding Summer. She would say "I'm so unworthy of my godlike boyfriend and I'm not even pretty." Then, the book would describe her as having green eyes and a perfect face, and cascading beautiful locks of auburn hair. Come on Summer. Get some self esteem. The insecure hot girl gig is over and OVERUSED for that matter.
And the writing. Aw man, the writing.
I'm not saying I am a metaphoric and philosophical person, but the writing was awful. One line was used multiple times that just irked me so much.
"I saw him and I burst into flames."
I saw this, I think, 3 times. Why? WHY? WHHHYYY? First, how do you burst into flames? That would be another problem besides being trapped in a cellar. It was just so cliche. It used a very limited vocabulary and I was almost shocked when I heard a grown women wrote the book. I am so close to mailing her a copy of a Merriam Webster Thesarus. That is how atrocious it was. I was in physical pain because of the writing at times. I screamed multiple times and scared my whole family.
Okay, what else can I critique? Oh wait the plot!!!
Throughout the book I thought of scenarios in which the characters could escape. First, the most basic and easy one.
While the kidnapper(Colin/Clover) was in the cellar, poor boiling water on him. Simple. The girls all said they had access to a stove. They could just do this and he would at least be slowed down if not killed from burns.
Next, break a lamp and stab him with that. I know the girls were scared that Colin would fight back, but at least try. Honestly.
Last, (and my favorite) jump on his back and bite the jugular vein like a vampire.
Wow, this is getting very long. The last thing I hated was Colin. He was supposed to be a crazy psychopath. But, honestly he wasn't that frightening to me.
"Good evening flowers" that was his line. His "iconic" heart stopping line. I laughed. I laughed so hard. HE SOUNDS LIKE A GRANDMA GOING TO WATER HER GARDEN. And the author tried so desperately hard to be like Psycho, the movie. I decided to look the book up on wattpad( where it was originally released) and SHE EVEN CASTED COLIN AS THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS NORMAN BATES. She tried too hard with the "mommy hates prostitutes so I automatically became a prostitute hating person as well" card. I did some more research on the topic and learned from medicaldaily.com that you can't just become a psychopath because of your dad doing the dirty with some other ladies. Most people are just born with brain abnormalities that cause them to think that way.
Wow. Overall, unless you are looking for a book that will constantly make you scream in fury and frustration, I recommend something different.
WARNING-I WILL BE COMPLETELY DESTROYING AND TEARING APART THIS BOOK. PLEASE DON'T THINK I AM INSULTING YOU IF I SAY SOMETHING NEGATIVE.
Alrighty, shall we begin?
We are introduced to Summer (AKA a 16 year old girl who cries nonstop, is completely incapable of thinking logically and is very very very annoying).
To say the least I found Summer to be a very weak character. These are things she did throughout the novel.
1.cry
2.cry again
3.cry even though the cellar is flooding from her tears
4. Thinking of Lewis calling her "baby"
5. crying
SUMMER WAS A CRYBABY. Yes, I understand the circumstances, she is trapped in cellar. But come on, by her 152783637th time crying I was about to kill her. She just wouldn't stop. Literally, every 10 or so pages, SHE WAS AT IT AGAIN. CRYING. What could she have been doing with all the time she wasted crying?
1. Finding a way to GET OUT OF THE CELLAR.
2. MAKING ANY SORT OF WEAPON.
3. Anything but releasing her tear ducts.
Also one of my most hated cliches happened regarding Summer. She would say "I'm so unworthy of my godlike boyfriend and I'm not even pretty." Then, the book would describe her as having green eyes and a perfect face, and cascading beautiful locks of auburn hair. Come on Summer. Get some self esteem. The insecure hot girl gig is over and OVERUSED for that matter.
And the writing. Aw man, the writing.
I'm not saying I am a metaphoric and philosophical person, but the writing was awful. One line was used multiple times that just irked me so much.
"I saw him and I burst into flames."
I saw this, I think, 3 times. Why? WHY? WHHHYYY? First, how do you burst into flames? That would be another problem besides being trapped in a cellar. It was just so cliche. It used a very limited vocabulary and I was almost shocked when I heard a grown women wrote the book. I am so close to mailing her a copy of a Merriam Webster Thesarus. That is how atrocious it was. I was in physical pain because of the writing at times. I screamed multiple times and scared my whole family.
Okay, what else can I critique? Oh wait the plot!!!
Throughout the book I thought of scenarios in which the characters could escape. First, the most basic and easy one.
While the kidnapper(Colin/Clover) was in the cellar, poor boiling water on him. Simple. The girls all said they had access to a stove. They could just do this and he would at least be slowed down if not killed from burns.
Next, break a lamp and stab him with that. I know the girls were scared that Colin would fight back, but at least try. Honestly.
Last, (and my favorite) jump on his back and bite the jugular vein like a vampire.
Wow, this is getting very long. The last thing I hated was Colin. He was supposed to be a crazy psychopath. But, honestly he wasn't that frightening to me.
"Good evening flowers" that was his line. His "iconic" heart stopping line. I laughed. I laughed so hard. HE SOUNDS LIKE A GRANDMA GOING TO WATER HER GARDEN. And the author tried so desperately hard to be like Psycho, the movie. I decided to look the book up on wattpad( where it was originally released) and SHE EVEN CASTED COLIN AS THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS NORMAN BATES. She tried too hard with the "mommy hates prostitutes so I automatically became a prostitute hating person as well" card. I did some more research on the topic and learned from medicaldaily.com that you can't just become a psychopath because of your dad doing the dirty with some other ladies. Most people are just born with brain abnormalities that cause them to think that way.
Wow. Overall, unless you are looking for a book that will constantly make you scream in fury and frustration, I recommend something different.
The premise was pretty solid, as was the attempt to delve into the psychological states of all the characters. But I felt that this novel didn’t probe as deep as it seemed to be meant to, and the prose itself was a little stilted.
Overall, I loved this book and give it 4.5 stars. It would have been 5, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the very ending of it. *possible spoiler* I wouldn’t want to be any where around flowers ever again after the ordeal, so one part at the end made me cringe. Also, Summer trying to get back to normal felt a little over the top or unnecessary and unneeded. Other than that, I loved this book. It was very well written. While some concepts are similar to other captivity stories this one was still unique.
I look forward to reading a lot more by her!
I look forward to reading a lot more by her!
Definitely not the page turner I was hoping for. Read it in two days, nice and easy read but it definitely needs to be edited. The book was riddled with typos.