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irenemarie's review against another edition
Soft DNF. My loan to the library concluded before I could finish. Will pick up again.
screamandsugar13's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
2.75
Repetitive prose really limited the enjoyment of this book. The characters weren't likable, and there were political commentary moments that felt forced and unnatural.
The ending left a lot to be desired.
The ending left a lot to be desired.
amanizaha's review against another edition
2.0
A couple decides to have a kid because of FOMO (All our friends have them, might be kinda cool idk??), then suffers the consequences. I, too, suffered along with them – almost half the novel went by without the plot achieving anything significant. Not for me!
magenta_menace's review against another edition
3.5
a very strong premise with some good twists and culty vibes, but this novel was so slow to start, and the ending felt so accelerated. could have benefited from better pacing over all, a couple less sex scenes (some just felt unnecessary), and a tad more body horror--the gory moments were truly the shining elements of this text. i did enjoy the second half of the book, but this was almost a dnf just with how difficult the beginning was to get through.
car_theauthor's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ravyncrow's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
gabbo1114's review against another edition
4.0
Wow... I have to say that I really enjoyed this creepy book. But boy am I glad my children are already born. Not sure I would ever have wanted kids after reading this HAHA. Expectant parents and anyone planning to have kids in the future STAY AWAY ;-)
thequeenoftoads's review against another edition
3.0
This book is frustrating.
It is clear that Ottone has ability when it comes to writing and the idea is intriguing, but 4/5ths of the book is dedicated to the pregnancy and getting to know Ian and Lola as a couple. They're insufferable. They own nothing but band tees. They're also dumb as rocks.
When the creepy stuff starts happening its rushed through. I wish he'd spent less time on the pregnancy and Lola getting stoned and more on a slow build up of weird and more about. The ending is abrupt.
This book reminds me of Billy Budd, not in content or feel, but that there comes a point where it seems like the rewriting stopped.
There were also a couple of timeline and continuity errors which should have been picked up by the editor.
Also, I don't miss the era when horror books all had sex scenes in them. This one had many and they were awkward.
It is clear that Ottone has ability when it comes to writing and the idea is intriguing, but 4/5ths of the book is dedicated to the pregnancy and getting to know Ian and Lola as a couple. They're insufferable. They own nothing but band tees. They're also dumb as rocks.
When the creepy stuff starts happening its rushed through. I wish he'd spent less time on the pregnancy and Lola getting stoned and more on a slow build up of weird and more about
Spoiler
the cultThis book reminds me of Billy Budd, not in content or feel, but that there comes a point where it seems like the rewriting stopped.
There were also a couple of timeline and continuity errors which should have been picked up by the editor.
Spoiler
I'm kind of glad that Ian and Lola ended up in the middle of nowhere, all alone, because my goodness they were obnoxious.Also, I don't miss the era when horror books all had sex scenes in them. This one had many and they were awkward.
exhaustedtech's review against another edition
5.0
What I thought I was reading:
A psychological thriller type story about a couple who have a kid that turns out evil.
What I though after reading the first few chapters:
The above but the couple originally did not WANT a kid, only had one because all their friends are doing it, and some serious postpartum depression comes into play.
What I got at the end?
Holy crap, I did not expect that ending. I thought it would be a “it’s all in her head” until the last 70% of the book.
I can now say I have a better appreciation that this takes place in the same world as Cob Man with all the references. And I did notice all the Sleepy Hollow refs as well.
A psychological thriller type story about a couple who have a kid that turns out evil.
What I though after reading the first few chapters:
The above but the couple originally did not WANT a kid, only had one because all their friends are doing it, and some serious postpartum depression comes into play.
What I got at the end?
Holy crap, I did not expect that ending. I thought it would be a “it’s all in her head” until the last 70% of the book.
I can now say I have a better appreciation that this takes place in the same world as Cob Man with all the references. And I did notice all the Sleepy Hollow refs as well.
mostlyreadinghorror's review against another edition
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.
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.