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jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
I quite enjoyed this one (4.5 out of 5) While I see that this book might not be everyone's cup of tea, I found it to be a book that kept me captivated through all 600+ pages. My book club selected this book from a list of books for "If you liked Stranger Things, you will like these books". At the beginning, The book reminded me of the TV show "Wayward Pines". Though there was suspension of disbelief involved in the story, I didn't find the book trying to be something that it wasn't.
klparmley's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to this via Audible. Didn't read the PB.
I found it to be derivative. Clearly channeling Lovecraft's Great Old Ones. Also, some Dexter. Mona's "fuck" in every sentence was as tedious as Deb's.
The story was good. The narrator was good. I didn't love the way Bennett told the story. It was inconsistent.
I DID listen all the way through because I wanted to see where it was going, in spite of wishing he'd had a better editor.
I found it to be derivative. Clearly channeling Lovecraft's Great Old Ones. Also, some Dexter. Mona's "fuck" in every sentence was as tedious as Deb's.
The story was good. The narrator was good. I didn't love the way Bennett told the story. It was inconsistent.
I DID listen all the way through because I wanted to see where it was going, in spite of wishing he'd had a better editor.
peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
A small town with secrets, an ex-cop with a difficult past, and a research lab performing tests on the very nature of existence...it's a good combination for a creepy, fun book! I like the author and his writing, and I'd heard this was a bit different from the others of his that I've read ([b:City of Stairs|20174424|City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1)|Robert Jackson Bennett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394545220s/20174424.jpg|28030792] and [b:City of Blades|23909755|City of Blades (The Divine Cities, #2)|Robert Jackson Bennett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426255519s/23909755.jpg|43516764]), so I was pretty excited to read it. It was a lot bigger of a book than I was expecting, so I wasn't sure how well it would keep my attention...it's a bit different than I normally read, so who knows?
I really, really liked it. I loved the slow build of it all. For 300 pages or so, I found it really fun to try and piece together the story just based on Mona's experiences and the creepy side-characters she ran into or that existed parallel to her story. I got legitimately creeped out in a couple of scenes, which really brought me back to college and our "Sunday Night Scares" (weekly horror movie parties). I like the feeling of being on edge like that, and not being able to tear my eyes away from the page/screen. It's just fun.
Robert Jackson Bennett is obviously a really talented writer, so his characters and prose and everything was exactly like I expected it to be. I've grown to enjoy his present-tense, third-person view that he writes in. There's a lot to say for being pushed into the story as it's happening, and watching it all play out. I think it works here quite a bit, since it gives a bit of a feeling of helplessness to the reader, that we're forced to watch the events unfold in real time without being able to direct them at all. It's a bit different than a past-tense retelling, which again, worked pretty well!
My only complaint would be that the ending began too soon. The best part was when everything was pretty unknown, and we only caught glimpses of the "real" story. It's like any scary movie: it's always scarier to see just a glimpse here or there of "the monster" (or whatever) than to see the whole thing right away. And I could have done with another 100 pages of not knowing.
Once everything gets revealed (what's "actually" happening and all of that), the story turns into an action-packed thriller, which is also fun. But it lost something when...I find that I'm mostly frightened by not knowing, so once I can see everything "in the daylight" and know what it really is, I'm much less nervous. Which just meant that I lose some of my "Sunday Night Scares" adrenaline rush. It's not a bad thing, but just my personal preference.
Even then, though, RJB writes such good action sequences that it was really satisfying to read.
I really, really liked it. I loved the slow build of it all. For 300 pages or so, I found it really fun to try and piece together the story just based on Mona's experiences and the creepy side-characters she ran into or that existed parallel to her story. I got legitimately creeped out in a couple of scenes, which really brought me back to college and our "Sunday Night Scares" (weekly horror movie parties). I like the feeling of being on edge like that, and not being able to tear my eyes away from the page/screen. It's just fun.
Robert Jackson Bennett is obviously a really talented writer, so his characters and prose and everything was exactly like I expected it to be. I've grown to enjoy his present-tense, third-person view that he writes in. There's a lot to say for being pushed into the story as it's happening, and watching it all play out. I think it works here quite a bit, since it gives a bit of a feeling of helplessness to the reader, that we're forced to watch the events unfold in real time without being able to direct them at all. It's a bit different than a past-tense retelling, which again, worked pretty well!
My only complaint would be that the ending began too soon. The best part was when everything was pretty unknown, and we only caught glimpses of the "real" story. It's like any scary movie: it's always scarier to see just a glimpse here or there of "the monster" (or whatever) than to see the whole thing right away. And I could have done with another 100 pages of not knowing.
Once everything gets revealed (what's "actually" happening and all of that), the story turns into an action-packed thriller, which is also fun. But it lost something when...I find that I'm mostly frightened by not knowing, so once I can see everything "in the daylight" and know what it really is, I'm much less nervous. Which just meant that I lose some of my "Sunday Night Scares" adrenaline rush. It's not a bad thing, but just my personal preference.
Even then, though, RJB writes such good action sequences that it was really satisfying to read.
saloninareads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
Finished it but barely. I think I like Bennett's fantasy over his scifi.
irisilagan's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
mandragora's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pronkbaggins's review against another edition
5.0
5.0/5.0 stars
Just…wow! I am wholeheartedly impressed. This was a wonderful cosmic horror that was gripping from the beginning to the end. It feels like a book produced by Valve. At the center of it is a story that really appealed to me personally. I love books that are willing to go this far against convention, all with intense imagery to boot!
Just…wow! I am wholeheartedly impressed. This was a wonderful cosmic horror that was gripping from the beginning to the end. It feels like a book produced by Valve. At the center of it is a story that really appealed to me personally. I love books that are willing to go this far against convention, all with intense imagery to boot!
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
Wink, New Mexico is a quiet little town that doesn't exist on any maps. It's residents are content to reside there and never leave town. In fact, their whole existence seems to be a throwback to earlier times in America. The suburbs, neighbors having dinner parties, men working on their cars. It all seems so idyllic, but there are rules. One rule is no one goes out after dark.
When Mona Bright inherits her mother's home in Wink, it's a chance to start over from the dismal life she's had. She arrives in Wink on a day when the town is having a funeral, and her arrival causes quite a bit of gossip, but it also triggers events that begin to spiral out of control.
I loved this book. It's quite long, and you won't really begin to understand what's happening for a couple hundred pages in. It's filled with interesting and strange characters, from the town people stuck in strange loops, to the shady men living just outside of town selling drugs and disposing of corpses. And then there is the abandoned laboratory on the hill. It used to be filled with scientists, but it stands there alone and empty. The whole book was very atmospheric, and kept me thoroughly engrossed.
When it was all finished, I'm not sure I completely bought into some of the motives, but the themes of trying to find a home and a fresh start ring true enough. This is the second novel I've read by Robert Jackson Bennett, and I'm fast becoming a fan. In spite of the length, the writing is tight, the world he creates is immersive, and he creates truly spooky situations and memorable characters.
When Mona Bright inherits her mother's home in Wink, it's a chance to start over from the dismal life she's had. She arrives in Wink on a day when the town is having a funeral, and her arrival causes quite a bit of gossip, but it also triggers events that begin to spiral out of control.
I loved this book. It's quite long, and you won't really begin to understand what's happening for a couple hundred pages in. It's filled with interesting and strange characters, from the town people stuck in strange loops, to the shady men living just outside of town selling drugs and disposing of corpses. And then there is the abandoned laboratory on the hill. It used to be filled with scientists, but it stands there alone and empty. The whole book was very atmospheric, and kept me thoroughly engrossed.
When it was all finished, I'm not sure I completely bought into some of the motives, but the themes of trying to find a home and a fresh start ring true enough. This is the second novel I've read by Robert Jackson Bennett, and I'm fast becoming a fan. In spite of the length, the writing is tight, the world he creates is immersive, and he creates truly spooky situations and memorable characters.
paulinakgardner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0