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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyable dark reads with incredibly visual language. I personally did not enjoy the abrupt endings especially after such slow building tension.
3.5⭐
A Lush and Seething Hell is comprised of two books - a novella called The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky, and a short novel called My Heart Struck Sorrow. I read an ARC of The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky last year, so I'm copying my review into this one, and then will talk about My Heart Struck Sorrow below that.
The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky:
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky, and I'm so glad that I picked it up. This story immediately drew me in, and I was hooked the entire way through.
I'm impressed with the author's ability to do a great character study in such a short amount of time, along with having the horror of being exiled from a war-torn country surrounding it. I really enjoyed reading about the characters in this book, and I would continue reading about them if there ever happened to be more stories.
This book is heartbreaking, and it's very easy to get wrapped up in what the characters are feeling. The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky is a solid story across the board. I wish some more of my questions had been answered, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I gave The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky 4⭐.
My Heart Struck Sorrow:
I was really looking forward to My Heart Struck Sorrow since it has a fascinating synopsis, but I had a tough time connecting with this story. Cursed item & music horror stories will always grab my attention.
My Heart Struck Sorrow is very detailed (to the point that it felt overwritten for me). The spooky moments were few and far between, and most of the story was just mundane information about the jobs of the people who worked for the Library of Congress and were researching the music. It felt very repetitive after a while, and it was more like historical fiction with horror tones than the cosmic horror I thought it was going to be. The folk horror elements were intriguing, but I had a difficult time maintaining interest in the story.
I felt that the ending was sort of lackluster - I figured the story was ramping up to something big, but the slow burn just fizzled out. I didn't feel a connection to it as a reader, and there was a lack of emotion due to more telling than showing. This isn't a bad story; I just wasn't the right reader & was hoping for more. I gave My Heart Struck Sorrow 3⭐, so it's a 3.5⭐ for A Lush and Seething Hell as a whole.
A Lush and Seething Hell is comprised of two books - a novella called The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky, and a short novel called My Heart Struck Sorrow. I read an ARC of The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky last year, so I'm copying my review into this one, and then will talk about My Heart Struck Sorrow below that.
The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky:
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky, and I'm so glad that I picked it up. This story immediately drew me in, and I was hooked the entire way through.
I'm impressed with the author's ability to do a great character study in such a short amount of time, along with having the horror of being exiled from a war-torn country surrounding it. I really enjoyed reading about the characters in this book, and I would continue reading about them if there ever happened to be more stories.
This book is heartbreaking, and it's very easy to get wrapped up in what the characters are feeling. The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky is a solid story across the board. I wish some more of my questions had been answered, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I gave The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky 4⭐.
My Heart Struck Sorrow:
I was really looking forward to My Heart Struck Sorrow since it has a fascinating synopsis, but I had a tough time connecting with this story. Cursed item & music horror stories will always grab my attention.
My Heart Struck Sorrow is very detailed (to the point that it felt overwritten for me). The spooky moments were few and far between, and most of the story was just mundane information about the jobs of the people who worked for the Library of Congress and were researching the music. It felt very repetitive after a while, and it was more like historical fiction with horror tones than the cosmic horror I thought it was going to be. The folk horror elements were intriguing, but I had a difficult time maintaining interest in the story.
I felt that the ending was sort of lackluster - I figured the story was ramping up to something big, but the slow burn just fizzled out. I didn't feel a connection to it as a reader, and there was a lack of emotion due to more telling than showing. This isn't a bad story; I just wasn't the right reader & was hoping for more. I gave My Heart Struck Sorrow 3⭐, so it's a 3.5⭐ for A Lush and Seething Hell as a whole.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How have I not already read John Hornor Jacobs's writing before this?
Seriously, his writing is so up my alley it almost feels like he wrote it specifically for me. Gorgeous, creepy prose, fascinating plots, deeply upsetting cosmic horror, all make this collection of two cosmic horror stories not just good but phenomenal.
The Sea Dreams It Is The Sky
4/5
An interesting story full of lovely prose, the weird, and a fully fleshed-out tale with brilliant dives into culture and real-life horror as well as the cosmic. Ultimately the only reason that this isn't more highly rated for me is that the characters weren't my favorite, and the payoff, though worthwhile, didn't pull me in as much as I hoped it would.
My Heart Struck Sorrow
5+/5
Brilliant, beautiful, fascinating, terrifying. I can't recommend this one enough, and I don't want to spoil it at all for anybody. Suffice it to say, it's terrifying cosmic horror about folklore and music and it delivers the goods.
Seriously, his writing is so up my alley it almost feels like he wrote it specifically for me. Gorgeous, creepy prose, fascinating plots, deeply upsetting cosmic horror, all make this collection of two cosmic horror stories not just good but phenomenal.
The Sea Dreams It Is The Sky
4/5
An interesting story full of lovely prose, the weird, and a fully fleshed-out tale with brilliant dives into culture and real-life horror as well as the cosmic. Ultimately the only reason that this isn't more highly rated for me is that the characters weren't my favorite, and the payoff, though worthwhile, didn't pull me in as much as I hoped it would.
My Heart Struck Sorrow
5+/5
Brilliant, beautiful, fascinating, terrifying. I can't recommend this one enough, and I don't want to spoil it at all for anybody. Suffice it to say, it's terrifying cosmic horror about folklore and music and it delivers the goods.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes