Scan barcode
jorgefernandez's review against another edition
3.0
Pequeña decepción. La primera parte te atrapa y no te deja escapar, pero cuando llegué a la parte que más ganas tenía, a conocer el bosque, me ha resultado terriblemente aburrido, los eventos parecía que estaban puestos al azar, el desenlace es bastante random... No se, me gustaría seguir con la saga pero ahora mismo no me atrevo, no quiero volver a desencantarme.
cerviallacarica's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
vi_frt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm personally a fan of the spooky woods trope, and also an archaeologist, so this was right up my alley. Mysterious and complex, the world of mythago woods leaves the reader with more questions than answers, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
rebeccacider's review against another edition
Mixed feelings about this one. The first section is one of the most atmospheric dark fantasies I've had the pleasure of reading. The slow progression of horror, of being simultaneously engulfed by a malevolent wood and by the legacy of a parent, is genuinely haunting.
The rest of the novel was inventive, but exchanges much of the psychological horror for a more linear adventure narrative. There's an interesting character study embedded here - Stephen is Guiwenneth; she is his anima. Likewise, the monsters that populate Ryhope Wood are aspects of a man whose childhood and war experience have left him deeply scarred. But Stephen never fully acknowledges the parallels between the wood's landscape and his internal landscape; till the end he views the mythagos as creatures to conquer or possess rather than externalized aspects of his psyche. If his lack of self-awareness was meant to be an indictment of the character, it was too subtle to register with this reader.
Nevertheless, Ryhope Wood was quite a setting. I don't think I've read another work that fully captured the experience of stumbling upon a ruin in the woods and feeling as if you've been transported into the past, or into a dream. The Celtic and pre-Celtic elements are robust, although the fixation with "folklore as historical record" felt dated, and the whole "racial memory" thing is cringeworthy, if on brand for a 1940s setting.
On the whole an imperfect novel, but certainly succeeds as a work of imagination.
The rest of the novel was inventive, but exchanges much of the psychological horror for a more linear adventure narrative. There's an interesting character study embedded here - Stephen is Guiwenneth; she is his anima. Likewise, the monsters that populate Ryhope Wood are aspects of a man whose childhood and war experience have left him deeply scarred. But Stephen never fully acknowledges the parallels between the wood's landscape and his internal landscape; till the end he views the mythagos as creatures to conquer or possess rather than externalized aspects of his psyche. If his lack of self-awareness was meant to be an indictment of the character, it was too subtle to register with this reader.
Nevertheless, Ryhope Wood was quite a setting. I don't think I've read another work that fully captured the experience of stumbling upon a ruin in the woods and feeling as if you've been transported into the past, or into a dream. The Celtic and pre-Celtic elements are robust, although the fixation with "folklore as historical record" felt dated, and the whole "racial memory" thing is cringeworthy, if on brand for a 1940s setting.
On the whole an imperfect novel, but certainly succeeds as a work of imagination.
vbroes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
saramarie08's review against another edition
4.0
This book is very surreal and doesn't answer all your questions, so just be prepared for that. Having said that, I really get a sense for what the characters are feeling, and when the main character is disappointed, saddened, heartbroken, or joyous, I feel it as well. This book was a gamble for me, having randomly selected it from a shelf full of similar titles, but I'm glad it was well written and interesting.
farilian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mkean's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. It was good up until a point. Then I realized that this is such a man-centric book. Gwyneth doesn't seem to have any purpose other than being an erotic playing for the men of the Huxley family. She is exactly as they want her to be, because their minds created her. She falls in love with them because they fall in love with her.
greendrum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
Some interesting ideas hampered by one-dimensional, misogynistic writing
vezreads's review against another edition
Misogynistic writing put me off. Born sexy yesterday trope done in a really gross way