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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was alright. I honestly predicted the twist about 1/3 of the way through the book…
hmmm i needed more supernatural shenanigans, but did love that all the loose ends wrapped up by the end! and also jack shoulda been gay. make it text not subtext gang!!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't read many thrillers anymore, but this caught my attention instantly. It's a blend of modern thriller and old-school horror, and I couldn't figure out where the story was going next.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
Despite a lot of potential, this book was ultimately a disappointment. I had my small, personal gripes with the text: I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, I found some of the dialogue and techniques a little gimmicky, and I thought the book really suffered from some real “pick me” vibes from Jack, the protagonist, and her daughter who both are simply too cool for social media, modern pop culture, and anything conceived after the 80’s.
I was willing to compromise on the writing style and some of characterization choices that seemed a little too try hard, but then I started noticing a pattern with how characters in minority groups are represented. It absolutely soured the entire novel for me. I’d like to think that we as a society has moved passed damaging stereotypes and horror tropes that malign people with disabilities, black people, and queer folk... and yet here we are.
The problem with these choices in representation isn't that they can never be used, but that the use of these messy tropes necessitate sensitivity. When your black character is fulfilling a long-standing anti-black trope, are you doing the work of representing blackness or black community outside of this antagonist? When you rely on suspect horror tropes that center on people with disabilities and people with mental illness, are you also populating your story with characters who are also disabled, but good and dimensional? Also mentally ill, but kind? Horror is powerful because it reveals the anxieties of the powerful, but this does nothing to subvert, challenge, or even acknowledge how often our concepts of monstrous people are synonymous to disenfranchised Others. Instead, this novel reinforces the fear and the bias. Truly disappointing.
I was willing to compromise on the writing style and some of characterization choices that seemed a little too try hard, but then I started noticing a pattern with how characters in minority groups are represented. It absolutely soured the entire novel for me. I’d like to think that we as a society has moved passed damaging stereotypes and horror tropes that malign people with disabilities, black people, and queer folk... and yet here we are.
Spoiler
Across all three dimensions, Tudor makes some extremely dubious choices. Can gay people exist without being closeted? Can black characters actually contribute to the story, without being killed off immediately or existing only to play into stereotypes of welfare queens and abusers? Do we need to keep writing stories where a villain’s “psychopathy” can be neatly traced back to the fault of a bad mother? And how about that charming representation of people with disabilities? I’m sick and tired of narratives that only reinforce the idea that people with disabilities are faking their conditions only to impose harm on other people.The problem with these choices in representation isn't that they can never be used, but that the use of these messy tropes necessitate sensitivity. When your black character is fulfilling a long-standing anti-black trope, are you doing the work of representing blackness or black community outside of this antagonist? When you rely on suspect horror tropes that center on people with disabilities and people with mental illness, are you also populating your story with characters who are also disabled, but good and dimensional? Also mentally ill, but kind? Horror is powerful because it reveals the anxieties of the powerful, but this does nothing to subvert, challenge, or even acknowledge how often our concepts of monstrous people are synonymous to disenfranchised Others. Instead, this novel reinforces the fear and the bias. Truly disappointing.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was hard to tell how I felt after reading this at first, but now that I reflect on it, I did feel it was solid and rather good. I'm not a huge fan of first person point of view stories so I was biased in the run in. I do love thriller/horrors with a mix of religious undertones and this was perfect. There were a few good twists, some I predicted, and some I Did not. It lost a half a star though because some plot points and scenes were so cliché and corny. The penultimate scene in the church was pretty dull and cringeworthy. I couldn't wait to get to that moment and somehow it was the weakest part of the story.
This book is an amazing read, I like how Tudor makes the chapters quite short as I have a terrible attention span, there is so many twists and turns and the ending is incredible!!