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luminous's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. Do not read the audiobook version. The narration is awful. It's very halting, spoken in choppy phrases with long pauses in between. It constantly draws you out of the story, because the narrator always emphasizes the wrong words in a sentence.
I don't think even a good narrator could have saved this story though. I wanted to love it. The beginning was slow going, and dull. It finally got going just after the halfway point, but who but a fan would have stuck around that long? Lacks the personality and humor of Kingfisher's other work.
Love the fungus theme. Should have been a short novella.
I don't think even a good narrator could have saved this story though. I wanted to love it. The beginning was slow going, and dull. It finally got going just after the halfway point, but who but a fan would have stuck around that long? Lacks the personality and humor of Kingfisher's other work.
Love the fungus theme. Should have been a short novella.
mxunsmiley's review against another edition
1.0
It had such a silly and obnoxious writing style that was difficult to set aside, extremely tonally discordant with the setting and genre. As a result, there’s no real horror to be felt as you read, even if I suppose it genuinely would be terrifying if executed better… at the same time, a lot of things about it fall apart even with suspension of disbelief, especially with the implied age of whatever dwelled in the tarn, and those who attended the house of Usher being aware of it all the while.
It’s pretty self-indulgent, evidenced additionally in the author’s note at the end of the book, which frankly does not make a good story most of the time. I was reminded of Mexican Gothic as I was reading and sure enough, the author credits it as inspiration here. I also have to respond to her comments on the brevity of Poe’s original short story, in which she speaks of dissatisfaction because of unanswered questions. I have to say that that is the appeal of a lot of successful horror stories—that we don’t actually know what the hell is going on, or whatever it is, constitutes much of the terror, and when you go out of your way to explain it, I think that’s where the fascination can stop, for the worse.
The characters were silly, Madeline’s motivation made no sense, the humor was out-of-place and even then, pretty hammy and obnoxious. No real substance or footing.
It’s pretty self-indulgent, evidenced additionally in the author’s note at the end of the book, which frankly does not make a good story most of the time. I was reminded of Mexican Gothic as I was reading and sure enough, the author credits it as inspiration here. I also have to respond to her comments on the brevity of Poe’s original short story, in which she speaks of dissatisfaction because of unanswered questions. I have to say that that is the appeal of a lot of successful horror stories—that we don’t actually know what the hell is going on, or whatever it is, constitutes much of the terror, and when you go out of your way to explain it, I think that’s where the fascination can stop, for the worse.
The characters were silly, Madeline’s motivation made no sense, the humor was out-of-place and even then, pretty hammy and obnoxious. No real substance or footing.
neha2lal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
heathclifff's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hippietilley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
rosie_posies's review against another edition
fall of the house of usher but make it trans and give the girlies way more agency…we love to see it
kikireads999's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Unfortunately, I think I've grown a little tired of this concept because I read The Fall of the House of Usher and Mexican Gothic before reading this book. Despite this, I had a good time reading it, and I enjoyed the author's writing style. The exploration of pronouns and linguistics was fascinating. I thought that I would have a harder time understanding the context of sentences when her invented pronouns were used, but I found that I caught on eventually and didn't need to pause when they were used.
My favourite parts were when everyone got spooked by the dead hare moving, and when Miss Potter was revealed to be the aunt of real-life author/illustrator/icon Beatrix Potter. I own a set of her 23 original tales, so it was quite fun to see her get a little shout-out.
soggycedar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide