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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
strong debut, i can see the seeds of they bloom at night & also i can see how markedly trang thanh tran grew as a writer & story teller between this & that--here's to growth, fungal included
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
tense
As hard as I tried (and I tried over and over again), I could not get into this book.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
"She is a haunting" is a YA book with generational horror, a haunted house, inner demons, and a look at the colonial oppression of a people; sounds like a lot over the course of 350 pages? It is.
I wanted to like this book with its vivid horror scenes and references to the harm done to the protagonist's family's ancestors. Still, the execution ultimately needed more polish, feeling disjointed in some areas to go as far as being tough to follow as it weaved between dreams, the present, and flashbacks. In addition, separate threads of the story didn't unravel smoothly, such as the parts revolving around the character's sexual identity. Specific devices to move the plot forward seemed too convenient regarding the haunting itself as well, leading to an abrupt ending.
Ultimately, I was middle of the road on this book, enjoying some parts while feeling pulled out of the story by others. I rounded this up to a 3 out of 5 stars and likely wouldn't recommend it based on my tastes.
I wanted to like this book with its vivid horror scenes and references to the harm done to the protagonist's family's ancestors. Still, the execution ultimately needed more polish, feeling disjointed in some areas to go as far as being tough to follow as it weaved between dreams, the present, and flashbacks. In addition, separate threads of the story didn't unravel smoothly, such as the parts revolving around the character's sexual identity. Specific devices to move the plot forward seemed too convenient regarding the haunting itself as well, leading to an abrupt ending.
Ultimately, I was middle of the road on this book, enjoying some parts while feeling pulled out of the story by others. I rounded this up to a 3 out of 5 stars and likely wouldn't recommend it based on my tastes.
There’s a lot to love about this book. The descriptions are lush, the POV fresh, the setting beautiful and creepy and full of the historical pain of colonization and racism, which the author mines well for this haunted-house tale.
I couldn’t quite love it though. I felt like it needed another edit, for clarity; many times I found myself reading the same sentence repeatedly, or even paging back, because it was unclear what was being referenced. Sometimes I never did figure out the referent. I also found the characters’ motivations murky. These things frustrated me and slowed what should have been a page-turner into a sometimes frustrating read.
Nevertheless I do recommend She Is a Haunting. There’s a lot here that is dreamy, beautiful, and off-kilter in a fantastic way, and plenty to learn from the setting’s history.
I couldn’t quite love it though. I felt like it needed another edit, for clarity; many times I found myself reading the same sentence repeatedly, or even paging back, because it was unclear what was being referenced. Sometimes I never did figure out the referent. I also found the characters’ motivations murky. These things frustrated me and slowed what should have been a page-turner into a sometimes frustrating read.
Nevertheless I do recommend She Is a Haunting. There’s a lot here that is dreamy, beautiful, and off-kilter in a fantastic way, and plenty to learn from the setting’s history.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes