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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this at first but then it got quite slow and was a struggle to finish. I really enjoyed the supernatural aspects but it just didn't grab me like his other novels. I think maybe I just didn't connect with the main character. Jess just didn't do it for me.
Slow but ultimately worth it. I wouldn't really call it horror though, just a ghost story.
dark
emotional
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
4.5 stars
I don't know if I loved this book quite as much as The Girl with All the Gifts, but then, it's a very different book from that one. Either way, it was a fantastic book.
I don't want to spoil things, so I won't give any real details away, other than to say that this book is very violent and deals in many, many shades of gray. The characters are complex, and whether you'll root for any of them is the question. These are not nice people, and some of them are the very extreme opposite of nice.
But the characters are this book's--and The Girl, in my opinion--true strength. M.R. Carey is breathtakingly masterful at creating complex, distinct characters. He does not truck in cardboard cutouts, crafting this novel with such deft care that it's not so much the plot that's the complicated part of this book, it's the intricate mindset of Fellside he establishes. I was consistently, page after page, paragraph after paragraph, blown away by how vivid his characters are. I read a LOT and rarely do I ever read books with characters as fully realized, complicated, and just plain real as his are.
I'm definitely on board for whatever this author writes next. I know his next book is set in the same world as The Girl with All the Gifts, but at this point, he could write a cereal box and I'd read it, that's how in awe of his skills I am. If you love books featuring deep, complex characters whose psyches you're going to spend a lot of time exploring, his books are for you.
I don't know if I loved this book quite as much as The Girl with All the Gifts, but then, it's a very different book from that one. Either way, it was a fantastic book.
I don't want to spoil things, so I won't give any real details away, other than to say that this book is very violent and deals in many, many shades of gray. The characters are complex, and whether you'll root for any of them is the question. These are not nice people, and some of them are the very extreme opposite of nice.
But the characters are this book's--and The Girl, in my opinion--true strength. M.R. Carey is breathtakingly masterful at creating complex, distinct characters. He does not truck in cardboard cutouts, crafting this novel with such deft care that it's not so much the plot that's the complicated part of this book, it's the intricate mindset of Fellside he establishes. I was consistently, page after page, paragraph after paragraph, blown away by how vivid his characters are. I read a LOT and rarely do I ever read books with characters as fully realized, complicated, and just plain real as his are.
I'm definitely on board for whatever this author writes next. I know his next book is set in the same world as The Girl with All the Gifts, but at this point, he could write a cereal box and I'd read it, that's how in awe of his skills I am. If you love books featuring deep, complex characters whose psyches you're going to spend a lot of time exploring, his books are for you.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Flew through this novel. The Girl with All the Gifts was a good book but Fellside really drew me in. Jess was a bit of an unlikely heroine. There were moments when I wanted to shake some sense into her because she was utterly frustrating in her naiveté. The other characters really brought this novel together as the author wrote their histories into the storyline. The ending was unexpected but I guess M.R Carey has a penchant for non-fairy tale endings.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
This book is incredibly dark and sad and distressing, but somehow it doesn't leave you with a bad feeling. It isn't exactly hopeful, and throughout the whole thing everyone's pretty miserable, but there's a lightness to it and I guess the sort of surrealness of parts takes the edge off so it's not just a big depression fest. It's beautifully written.