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nicekweenreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
While I can certainly see how this can be a decisive book, I absolutely loved it.
Pros:
I really liked and related to Sarah, the main character. She is a women who just cut off ties with her manipulative mother and just left an emotionally abusive relationship. Accepted to an artist colony, Sarah is excited to find who is without her ex. However, strange events start occurring the moment she accidentally digs up a woman when trying to dig an area for a kiln. From there she is mysteriously connected to the dead woman, receiving flashbacks to her life, and the horrors that await at the property.
Most of the characters felt real and multidimensional. I could relate to a lot of them in many ways (except the artistic talent).
I also really liked the feminist perspective this book was written from. It's very refreshing in the horror genre and sadly relatable.
Another relatable relationship was the "romantic interest". A lot of books have some hunky, magical man to come in and save the heroine's heart, this isn't it. I love they didn't get together. Right person, wrong time.
Though I'm not normally a fan of historical horror, I thought it was done well. The historical truth of how easily women were given to asylums added an extra layer of eeriness. The ties between Emily and Sarah served as a great, yet heart breaking parallel. I do wish Emily has a better redemption though.
Cons:
I felt the pacing was a little slow in beginning. We spend a long time with characters that don't really matter much.
I am positive the nails were supposed to have some bigger conenction but I didn't get it. It was really clear what those who held them besides being randonly possessed.
I also felt the ending was also little rushed and odd, especially when compared to how long the beginning of the book was.The ex boyfriend showing up at the end in the hotel was so odd. Especially since there was no expalnation if he and Gale were working together.
Pros:
I really liked and related to Sarah, the main character. She is a women who just cut off ties with her manipulative mother and just left an emotionally abusive relationship. Accepted to an artist colony, Sarah is excited to find who is without her ex. However, strange events start occurring the moment she accidentally digs up a woman when trying to dig an area for a kiln. From there she is mysteriously connected to the dead woman, receiving flashbacks to her life, and the horrors that await at the property.
Most of the characters felt real and multidimensional. I could relate to a lot of them in many ways (except the artistic talent).
I also really liked the feminist perspective this book was written from. It's very refreshing in the horror genre and sadly relatable.
Another relatable relationship was the "romantic interest".
Though I'm not normally a fan of historical horror, I thought it was done well.
Cons:
I felt the pacing was a little slow in beginning. We spend a long time with characters that don't really matter much.
I also felt the ending was also little rushed and odd, especially when compared to how long the beginning of the book was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit
book_byrd's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
mafaichney's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
beesbookhaunts's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
We follow Sarah as she joins a remote artists’ retreat after leaving an abusive relationship. She discovers that the old mansion everyone is forbidden from entering has secrets of its own.
This book is A Lot. Each character has an extreme personality, verging into caricature territory. There’s a misogynistic man who expects Sarah to clean up after him, a goth girl who wears only black and takes morbid pictures, a costume designer who doesn’t wear modern clothing-and more. The descriptions of these characters provides levity as Sarah discovers the extremely dark past of the resort, and unpacks her own abusive relationship. These details are much darker and upsetting than the rest of the book, which made me appreciate the light-hearted sections.The contrast was sometimes quite jarring, and the first detailed description of sexual assault caught me off guard.
Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt long and sometimes repetitive. I’ve attached trigger warnings so please check them before picking this up!
Thanks to the publisher, I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book is A Lot. Each character has an extreme personality, verging into caricature territory. There’s a misogynistic man who expects Sarah to clean up after him, a goth girl who wears only black and takes morbid pictures, a costume designer who doesn’t wear modern clothing-and more. The descriptions of these characters provides levity as Sarah discovers the extremely dark past of the resort, and unpacks her own abusive relationship. These details are much darker and upsetting than the rest of the book, which made me appreciate the light-hearted sections.
Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt long and sometimes repetitive. I’ve attached trigger warnings so please check them before picking this up!
Thanks to the publisher, I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Misogyny, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gore
kimwritesstuff's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book includes depictions of domestic violence, rape, spousal rape, and emotional abuse. I wouldn't normally include that at the beginning of my review, but those topics are central to the book's themes, and I understand some readers like to avoid those topics. I will say the abuse isn't gratuitous or male-gaze-y.
I really liked this book. The main reason it wasn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt like there were too many unknowns left. In gothic horror, it's common for there to be doubt, but there was so much plot left to interpretation that it just felt messy instead of interesting. I also thought the inclusion of Sarah having a negative relationship with her mom was unnecessary. It didn't further the plot and was such a blip in the story. I think it was included to make it easier for Kyle (the abusive ex) to isolate Sarah, but really it didn't add anything. The mom could have just been absent, and it would have served the same purpose. Honestly, it would have been more insidious if the mom had been supportive and dismissive of any concerns Sarah had with her boyfriend. In some cases, that would have been more realistic. The only other issue is the timeline; I had a hard time figuring out how old Sarah was and what her background was. At one point, I thought she had an undergrad art degree and had been in a master's program when she met Kyle, but then it mentions she was actually a junior in college. Maybe I misunderstood, but that part was wonky for me.
Sarah arrives at an artist residency program to escape her abusive ex and start over. The residency program is at Tranquil Falls, a defunct medical spa. While the old hotel and spa is off-limits, the artist residency program is on the grounds of the old facility. There are whimsical cabins and historic buildings; everything seems perfect until someone puts a dead bloated possum on Sarah's bed. From there, the story escalates as Sarah discovers the horrors of the so-called medical spa and her own past.
Part of why I liked this book is that it really outlines how far people are willing to go to turn the other cheek. Multiple characters are willing to aid or ignore the abuse that is going on around them. Not just men, but women are willing to ignore or outright aid in the emotional or physical abuse of others. There's also the disgusting nature of medical spas and asylums, which I could write whole novels on.
If you like gothic horror, I think you'll enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
I really liked this book. The main reason it wasn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt like there were too many unknowns left. In gothic horror, it's common for there to be doubt, but there was so much plot left to interpretation that it just felt messy instead of interesting. I also thought the inclusion of Sarah having a negative relationship with her mom was unnecessary. It didn't further the plot and was such a blip in the story. I think it was included to make it easier for Kyle (the abusive ex) to isolate Sarah, but really it didn't add anything. The mom could have just been absent, and it would have served the same purpose. Honestly, it would have been more insidious if the mom had been supportive and dismissive of any concerns Sarah had with her boyfriend. In some cases, that would have been more realistic. The only other issue is the timeline; I had a hard time figuring out how old Sarah was and what her background was. At one point, I thought she had an undergrad art degree and had been in a master's program when she met Kyle, but then it mentions she was actually a junior in college. Maybe I misunderstood, but that part was wonky for me.
Sarah arrives at an artist residency program to escape her abusive ex and start over. The residency program is at Tranquil Falls, a defunct medical spa. While the old hotel and spa is off-limits, the artist residency program is on the grounds of the old facility. There are whimsical cabins and historic buildings; everything seems perfect until someone puts a dead bloated possum on Sarah's bed. From there, the story escalates as Sarah discovers the horrors of the so-called medical spa and her own past.
Part of why I liked this book is that it really outlines how far people are willing to go to turn the other cheek. Multiple characters are willing to aid or ignore the abuse that is going on around them. Not just men, but women are willing to ignore or outright aid in the emotional or physical abuse of others. There's also the disgusting nature of medical spas and asylums, which I could write whole novels on.
If you like gothic horror, I think you'll enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, and Abortion
jerichamacie's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but the ending really soured it for me. It was such a slow burn then suddenly all the action is crammed into the last 20 pages. A lot of things never make sense or just didn't need to happen at all.
The eerie woodland gothic vibe was great, the main character was kind of insufferable and judgey.
The eerie woodland gothic vibe was great, the main character was kind of insufferable and judgey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Abortion
author_aryoung's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Thank you NetGalley for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.
When I'd heard that this novel was to be a feminist horror/ thriller, I was really excited for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC. While the contents are technically of a feminist nature, the execution of the concept fell flat for me.
We are following 26-year-old Sarah as she flees from her abusive ex and senile alcoholic mother to seek solace at an "off-grid" artists' retreat. It quickly becomes obvious that escaping her troublesome past won't be as easy as Sarah had anticipated.
I feel that the beginning of the book should include certain content and trigger warnings as there is animal abuse and death as well as explicit rape scenes which I wasn't entirely prepared for and which threw me off guard. While we are on the topic, I found the barbarism to be unnecessary and simply for shock value, as it did not add anything to the plot. The use of animal cruelty didn't reveal any new information, didn't accelerate the pacing and was only included for "gore factor" which feels tactless and lazy, in my opinion.
For a book which dubs itself a "feminist horror", I feel that it fell short on feminism. The whole book, Sarah was degrading and projecting her own insecurities and standards onto the other woman at the retreat. For instance, Gertrude Rose is too dramatic, Antionette is too regal, Kim only cares about male validation and Ingrid is some weird goth. Sarah is so judge-y, I honestly was rooting for her downfall the whole book.
For a lack of better ways to describe what I mean to say; it felt as if the author was just using Sarah as a way to project her own thoughts and beliefs into the narrative. For instance, goths are weird, gory, and angry. 19-year-old boys should be angsty, eating all day and listening to Nirvana. The chef was just an angry, controlling snob. I could go on!
Sarah is over all just a very negative and unlikable character. The entirety of the novel she is looking down her nose at all the other artists for being "weird" and "unorthodox" with their mediums; music, fashion, calligraphy, sculpting, glass cutting, but may I remind you that Sarah makes vases and plates... VASES AND PLATES. I could cut her some slack if she chose to be original with her medium but it's so anticlimactic and run-of-the-mill. I don't see where she gets off on being an absolute prick.
As for the writing itself, I felt that the author tried using 3rd person perspective but it fell flat. Instead of telling us her feelings and what she's thinking, it was used as a way to "question prompt" the audience. If the writing was executed well, I would be asking myself those questions and it wouldn't need to be prompted for me. In addition, I felt it to be redundant and often many chapters were extraneous and offered no real value to the rest of the text other than to show us how millennial the author is. For instance, referencing Taylor Swift and Nirvana and using the word "pic" unironically (repetitively). I know not everyone minds pop-culture references in their books but when it's used on every other page, it begins to feel like a brand deal and product placement. I think that if I had to read any more mentions of Apple and their products. TikTok, and Instagram than I did, I was going to DNF this ARC. AirPods could be generic earbuds and it wouldn't have affected the story at all (except for making it better). I am 22-years-old and I know that if I was planning to go on a 6 week retreat sin internet or cell reception, I would think to bring a few books with me. But naturally 26-year-old Sarah is still relying on her phone to use the reading app... because that makes sense.
I felt that there were so so so so so many plot holes:
1. The animal deaths added nothing to the plot and we never learn the reason they were maimed and killed.
2. A character died and Sarah thought they looked like they died of fear and they were found holding a certain recurring object in their hand, but we never learn the significance of the object nor how the character really died.
3. There are glass shards found in some clay but we never learn why or how it was put there- it's implied that a ghost would have done it but there was never any ghost! And the "ghost" only manipulated the glass shards...
4. THE ENTIRE CONCLUSION!
There are many many more but I don't want to be a spoiler.
Sarah has vision-like dreams about the retreat in its earlier years of operation but if this is a feminist novel, and we can all agree the 97% statistic is valid, then why is Sarah the only woman at the retreat with this connection? Shouldn't all the women be affected? And, with the 97% in mind, why does Sarah walk around the place thinking she is the only person who has gone through some life-altering traumatic event? Sarah's attitude is justified but all the other characters are just dramatic cry babies dealing with their first ever inconveniences?
I think this book would be better categorized as a thriller than a horror because WHERE WAS THE HORROR? Unless the scariest thing was meant to be Sarah's superiority complex, nothing was scary! I could predict the ending less than 30% through the book and I'm the kind of reader who believes in suspension of disbelief to enjoy a book... there was no suspending my disbelief with this novel. It was as easy as 1+1. I expected page-turning. heart pounding, mind racing horror and instead I got a glowing blue orb 10 pages from the end of the novel...
I feel that if this was to be a well-done feminist horror novel, the rape scenes would have to be less tacky or just not exist. We know rape is bad! We know marital rape was once normalized. We know the feeling of having our "no," go unappreciated. Was there meant to be a moral or theme or was it just an explicit example of what rape can look like? If the point of the scenes were meant to show how women feel about getting raped then I feel the same effect could have been reached without the play-by-play and, instead, the 3rd person narrator could have dome what a 3rd person POV is meant to so and just show us her thought process and how he feels without telling us what is being done to her. It felt like a 6th grade execution of a women's rights poster board project. "Raping women is bad!" "Consent is key!" "Men used to use women as incubators which is not fair!" Like yes, these are all very obvious points only left to be doubted by incels and ingrates. The only reason this book was given two stars by me, instead of one star, is because of Ingrid. She was the only likable character in all 328 pages!! Over-all I absolutely hated this book and would probably not recommend it to a friend. Maybe I'd recommend it to someone I hate- not for them to learn anything but just because I want them to suffer as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Rape