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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
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
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'll read any book about plagues or pandemics. I just love them so much.
I will say that I think that the blurb is a little misleading about who the main character is. It's not Trish, it's her son Toby. He does almost all the investigating and interacting with the ghost. I don't know why the blurb frames Trish as the main character when she's definitely more of a side or supporting character. It's not a bad thing, it just really threw me off when I was expecting to read from her point of view.
The Plague Stones is a pretty classic haunted house story with the twist that it's actually the city that is haunted. I really enjoyed a the tension and atmosphere that was built. The Stones were super fascinating, though I wish they played a little bit larger of a role story wise. To be entirely honest, I don't even remember why they were there in the first place. I don't remember if they were placed after Hester became a problem as a way to keep her out or if they had another purpose. It's just not really relevant to the story. They each have names, and they seem like they should be more important than they are.
I like the characters well enough. Toby is a decently smart and capable protagonist, and he's the same age as the ghost, Hester, so there's an interesting bond there. He also starts to connect with the "regular" people of the town who are essentially a separate class from the Trustees. It's good to have him as that connection point. His parents, Trish and Peter, are pretty good characters in their own right. Peter is an electrician with anger issues, but he's very protective of his family. Trish is a lapsed Catholic who finds her way back to the faith through the paranormal activity around them. They're fine.
The Trustees are basically non-characters. Joyce, the reverend, is fascinating, and her reasons for being a Trustee are very well tied into the story. The only other one with much relevance is Nash, the misogynistic, greedy villain. I wish he had a little bit deeper motivation? He seems to truly care about keeping the town safe, but that's so incongruent with the rest of who he is. I'd really love to know why when he doesn't seem to care much at all for the residents. The rest of the Trustees are basically just there to fill out the roster.
The horror aspects are pretty good, though they peak pretty early with an animal death. I don't know why that seems to be reoccurring with me. The Southern Bookclub's Guide for Slaying Vampires did the same. I did feel the tension, especially whenever the stones were threatened. It's a good tension building to have this ONE thing in between order and chaos.
The only thing I didn't really enjoy about The Plague Stones was the ending.
SPOILERS
Essentially, Hester is able to break through the Plague Stones' barrier utilizing the help of a teenager seeking revenge against the Trustees. We get about a paragraph each of her killing each of the trustees, except for two who were killed off page. It's really disjoined and uncomfortable, especially because I don't think any of these people did anything wrong.
Pretty much the only person who I believe truly deserved their death, Nash, is killed off screen. Every one else seemed afraid, but mostly kind. Sure, they were skimping on development and endangering the lives of those living in the town as a result, but I'm pretty sure that the only one who knew about that was Nash. It seems like Nash sent the thug to beat up Toby without the knowledge of the others. They had literally nothing to do with Hester, the bad things happening in the town, or anything that would make their deaths feel like anything more than a cheap shock.
I'm also just entirely not on Hester's side at ALL. I don't feel sorry for her or her village. It is the RIGHT THING TO DO to quarantine your city. Yes, the people of the city could have given them some of the sacred healing water, but genuinely providing them refuge and treatment would've just endangered all of the citizens of the city. Additionally, there is no reason she has to haunt the descendants of that city for hundreds of years. She got her revenge multiple times over! I don't think she's supposed to be the bad guy, but I feel like we're supposed to feel a little sympathetic.
The village committed the sin of being un-neighborly, but Hester committed the sin of murdering dozens of people who had nothing to do with that. She's a MURDERING GHOST! Who in their right mind would invite her in? I understand that she's possessed by the sprit of something older and more evil, but it was scarcely mentioned. I think only ONCE before she became possessed.
I also didn't love the insinuation that she's essentially started a new outbreak of the Black Plague on the living. It's fine, it just felt a little cheesy, like when the villain gives you one last jump scare.
I liked the chapters in the past that showed Hester's backstory, and I'm glad we didn't get them all shoved in at the end. I would've liked to see a bit more of a tie-in for when the chapters switched. It happened seemingly at random, and while it wasn't distracting I think there could've been a smoother jump.
I liked the book overall. I would recommend it if you like a good ghost story! It had me engaged really well, and I felt the pacing never really dipped into boring territory despite it being a pretty long book.
I will say that I think that the blurb is a little misleading about who the main character is. It's not Trish, it's her son Toby. He does almost all the investigating and interacting with the ghost. I don't know why the blurb frames Trish as the main character when she's definitely more of a side or supporting character. It's not a bad thing, it just really threw me off when I was expecting to read from her point of view.
The Plague Stones is a pretty classic haunted house story with the twist that it's actually the city that is haunted. I really enjoyed a the tension and atmosphere that was built. The Stones were super fascinating, though I wish they played a little bit larger of a role story wise. To be entirely honest, I don't even remember why they were there in the first place. I don't remember if they were placed after Hester became a problem as a way to keep her out or if they had another purpose. It's just not really relevant to the story. They each have names, and they seem like they should be more important than they are.
I like the characters well enough. Toby is a decently smart and capable protagonist, and he's the same age as the ghost, Hester, so there's an interesting bond there. He also starts to connect with the "regular" people of the town who are essentially a separate class from the Trustees. It's good to have him as that connection point. His parents, Trish and Peter, are pretty good characters in their own right. Peter is an electrician with anger issues, but he's very protective of his family. Trish is a lapsed Catholic who finds her way back to the faith through the paranormal activity around them. They're fine.
The Trustees are basically non-characters. Joyce, the reverend, is fascinating, and her reasons for being a Trustee are very well tied into the story. The only other one with much relevance is Nash, the misogynistic, greedy villain. I wish he had a little bit deeper motivation? He seems to truly care about keeping the town safe, but that's so incongruent with the rest of who he is. I'd really love to know why when he doesn't seem to care much at all for the residents. The rest of the Trustees are basically just there to fill out the roster.
The horror aspects are pretty good, though they peak pretty early with an animal death. I don't know why that seems to be reoccurring with me. The Southern Bookclub's Guide for Slaying Vampires did the same. I did feel the tension, especially whenever the stones were threatened. It's a good tension building to have this ONE thing in between order and chaos.
The only thing I didn't really enjoy about The Plague Stones was the ending.
SPOILERS
Essentially, Hester is able to break through the Plague Stones' barrier utilizing the help of a teenager seeking revenge against the Trustees. We get about a paragraph each of her killing each of the trustees, except for two who were killed off page. It's really disjoined and uncomfortable, especially because I don't think any of these people did anything wrong.
Pretty much the only person who I believe truly deserved their death, Nash, is killed off screen. Every one else seemed afraid, but mostly kind. Sure, they were skimping on development and endangering the lives of those living in the town as a result, but I'm pretty sure that the only one who knew about that was Nash. It seems like Nash sent the thug to beat up Toby without the knowledge of the others. They had literally nothing to do with Hester, the bad things happening in the town, or anything that would make their deaths feel like anything more than a cheap shock.
I'm also just entirely not on Hester's side at ALL. I don't feel sorry for her or her village. It is the RIGHT THING TO DO to quarantine your city. Yes, the people of the city could have given them some of the sacred healing water, but genuinely providing them refuge and treatment would've just endangered all of the citizens of the city. Additionally, there is no reason she has to haunt the descendants of that city for hundreds of years. She got her revenge multiple times over! I don't think she's supposed to be the bad guy, but I feel like we're supposed to feel a little sympathetic.
The village committed the sin of being un-neighborly, but Hester committed the sin of murdering dozens of people who had nothing to do with that. She's a MURDERING GHOST! Who in their right mind would invite her in? I understand that she's possessed by the sprit of something older and more evil, but it was scarcely mentioned. I think only ONCE before she became possessed.
I also didn't love the insinuation that she's essentially started a new outbreak of the Black Plague on the living. It's fine, it just felt a little cheesy, like when the villain gives you one last jump scare.
I liked the chapters in the past that showed Hester's backstory, and I'm glad we didn't get them all shoved in at the end. I would've liked to see a bit more of a tie-in for when the chapters switched. It happened seemingly at random, and while it wasn't distracting I think there could've been a smoother jump.
I liked the book overall. I would recommend it if you like a good ghost story! It had me engaged really well, and I felt the pacing never really dipped into boring territory despite it being a pretty long book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia
This was just okay for me.
I think the reason I don’t tend to read spooky books set in modern times is because I just can’t suspend disbelief like that. A story like this would work on film for me but less so in books.
I liked the premise but ultimately, I found the writing style a bit detached and flat.
I think the reason I don’t tend to read spooky books set in modern times is because I just can’t suspend disbelief like that. A story like this would work on film for me but less so in books.
I liked the premise but ultimately, I found the writing style a bit detached and flat.
I picked this up bc I heard it billed as "Hex but better," and I think that's both true and not true. I think the tension was built better in Hex, and we got to see a little more of the systems in place during the build-up. However, I do like the overall story and conclusion better here. I wish we got to see more of everything - more of the Trustees, [redacted]'s death (I was waiting for that the whole time and then it happens off screen??!?!), and more of the history of Hester in the town. I liked the glimpses of her life and her progression as a character, and all the plague stuff was definitely freaky in its timeliness. I enjoyed this author's spin on history and folklore and definitely want to read more from him!