Reviews

The Vile Thing We Created by Robert P. Ottone

meows_and_migraines's review against another edition

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The characters, Ian and Lola, ruined this book for me. They are written to be the epitome of 'anticool.' Band shirts, weed, no kids, movie posters, blah blah blah. I hated them both and as much as I wanted to see them suffer, I couldn't bring myself to finish the book.  

afrp's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Lola and Ian are very believable characters, sometimes to the point where their choices are completely infuriating. Overall, this is enjoyable, but the ending doesn't quite live up to the build up. 

anyajulchen's review against another edition

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2.0

Del libro esperaba mucho más. El desarrollo estuvo bien hasta que se volvió una cantidad de escenas repetidas una sobre la otra. Sin embargo, lo peor es el final y la resolución que es tan apresurado, aburrido y de cierta manera, débil, para la construcción del resto de la novela.

Si quieres una novela mejor, lee "El bebé de Rosemarie".

liznannigans's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

talkscaredpod's review

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

gurlwholovesdogsandbooks's review

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dark tense fast-paced

4.75

theboldbookworm's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked this, but I didn't love it. Some things I really liked were the parts where Jones was actually being creepy and the bizarre things happening to Lola and Ian. There are some gruesome scenes that were really good. I wish it had gotten to after the baby was born sooner because I thought the before started dragging on, so I was getting a bit bored. I felt it could have been a bit shorter and I would have loved to know more about the cult.

Overall, this is a good supernatural horror with a creepy kid and some other creepy things too.

It reminded me of The Omen so if you like that type of story, you'll probably like this one.

precioussantiago's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 Stars for this bad boy!

What an amazing reading experience. This story has all the elements I appreciate in a horror story; relatable characters, family drama, occult and supernatural elements. All encompassing and very entertaining.

Ian and Lola, are a young happily married pair (with great taste in music and band tees). The story sort of kicks off when Lola, a baker with our own catering business delivers an order of sweets to a children's party. With Ian and tow they find their former friends are all in attendance and they immediately feel a bit left out. They are not parents and don't necessarily feel any urgency to start a family, but feelings of nostalgia and overall FOMO push the couple towards parenthood and thats when this story really gets interesting. The pregnancy is rough and the first few years of their sons early years are littered with strange, supernatural events, seemingly a result of the theirs sons ominous personality and strange behavior. Over time Ian and Lola question their decision to become parents and are forced to make tough decisions after a fatal tragedy.

This was a very cinematic read, I absolutely could see this as a film. It was so suspenseful and never a dull moment. I especially adored Lola and Ian, these characters were written so well. They definitely had flaws but they were the sort of quirks that I think most readers would find relatable. This was a book that overall takes a look at the horrors of parenthood, an extreme look, but the story manages to capture the overall essence of the ups and downs of parenthood.

As previously mentioned there were occult supernatural elements that gave Rosemary's Baby vibes. There was also some very creepy imagery in this story that freaked me out. Though a slow burn the story was very well paced and engaging. I would have given it a full 5 star, but I really wanted a lot more in the way of the horror. I also was expecting the story to incorporate more interactions with other parents and their kids. A majority of the story is very contained and not much interaction with other parents, which for me personally is part of the horrors of parenthood-LOL. Overall I highly recommend this book, one of the blurbs on the book calls this "suburban folk horror" and I would definitely agree-if you like modern folk stories set in the suburbs this book is for you.

nattjs's review

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dark medium-paced

3.0

irenemarie's review against another edition

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Soft DNF. My loan to the library concluded before I could finish. Will pick up again.