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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Whose fault is it that I didn't fully read the blurb before diving into the book? (hi, it's me.)
I've loved many of Kelley Armstrong's books in the past, especially her Otherworld series, so when I saw she had a spooky thriller out this fall, I snapped it up. Halfway through the book, I thought I was reading a locked-room-style mystery, and then it took a turn in to horror and supernatural... which was fine, I just would've been more prepared if I had bothered to check the depth before diving in.
Armstrong crafts a vividly spooky setting on a lonely frigid island in Lake Superior, where nothing and no one are as they seem. It's a great entry for spooky season!
I've loved many of Kelley Armstrong's books in the past, especially her Otherworld series, so when I saw she had a spooky thriller out this fall, I snapped it up. Halfway through the book, I thought I was reading a locked-room-style mystery, and then it took a turn in to horror and supernatural... which was fine, I just would've been more prepared if I had bothered to check the depth before diving in.
Armstrong crafts a vividly spooky setting on a lonely frigid island in Lake Superior, where nothing and no one are as they seem. It's a great entry for spooky season!
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Biphobia, Cancer
4 Stars ⭐️
This book did a great job getting me engaged and interested right off the bat. There are immediately some spooky elements with Laney and her 16 year old niece. Laney a recent divorcée created her home on an excluded island into a vacation rental. But weird things have been happening such as some renters leaving occult hexes behind. Scaring other renters.
After renters find blood on a closet door Laney and her niece leave to go investigate but are surprised when her ex husband, sister in law, and a couple friends show up unannounced. They all travel to the island and immediately in the book things go awry. Creating immediately a very spooky/isolating uncomfortable read.
This is my first book from this author. I am really interested to read other works from her. I really appreciated the paranormal side of this story. This really made this story a lot of fun and also caused me to be scared a couple times. It really wasn't what I was expecting,
The pacing of this book is great. It moves very quickly. I do wish the chapters themselves though were a bit shorter. They felt a bit long for this style of story.
The majority of this book was a 5 star read for me. However some things that didn't work for me was some of the relationship issues. A lot of it stemmed from straight up not communicating. That was incredibly frustrating as a reader. The last 10-15% of the book lost me a bit. The paranormal part I liked but the explanation of why was a bit of a let down.
I would 100% recommend this book during spooky fall season. The atmosphere was great and the author does a great job setting the mood. I also would recommend this book to readers who enjoy isolation setting horror.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.
I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.
This book did a great job getting me engaged and interested right off the bat. There are immediately some spooky elements with Laney and her 16 year old niece. Laney a recent divorcée created her home on an excluded island into a vacation rental. But weird things have been happening such as some renters leaving occult hexes behind. Scaring other renters.
After renters find blood on a closet door Laney and her niece leave to go investigate but are surprised when her ex husband, sister in law, and a couple friends show up unannounced. They all travel to the island and immediately in the book things go awry. Creating immediately a very spooky/isolating uncomfortable read.
This is my first book from this author. I am really interested to read other works from her. I really appreciated the paranormal side of this story. This really made this story a lot of fun and also caused me to be scared a couple times. It really wasn't what I was expecting,
The pacing of this book is great. It moves very quickly. I do wish the chapters themselves though were a bit shorter. They felt a bit long for this style of story.
The majority of this book was a 5 star read for me. However some things that didn't work for me was some of the relationship issues. A lot of it stemmed from straight up not communicating. That was incredibly frustrating as a reader. The last 10-15% of the book lost me a bit. The paranormal part I liked but the explanation of why was a bit of a let down.
I would 100% recommend this book during spooky fall season. The atmosphere was great and the author does a great job setting the mood. I also would recommend this book to readers who enjoy isolation setting horror.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.
I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow this was terrible. About 20% in I thought I had figured out what the big twist would be. I was wrong it was far more stupid. 🫠
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated