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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
2.5 stars.
This book definitely has its reader, I’m just not sure that I am it.
This book definitely has its reader, I’m just not sure that I am it.
This is a really special novel. Queer horror really hits different and the intricate story Fram weaves within the pages of The Bright Lands is both touching and appalling.
If you grew up being bullied for not being “man” enough or had slurs thrown at you. This book is for you. You are loved.
If you grew up being bullied for not being “man” enough or had slurs thrown at you. This book is for you. You are loved.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
like if you took a setup to bad gay football porn and then made it horror
fr though this book really reminded me of Gillian Flynn's Dark Places with it's rural murders and rampant drug-fuelled secrets. it was a real rollercoaster and it kept me gasping in shock through the whole thing. fun read!!
fr though this book really reminded me of Gillian Flynn's Dark Places with it's rural murders and rampant drug-fuelled secrets. it was a real rollercoaster and it kept me gasping in shock through the whole thing. fun read!!
OKAY. That happened. Um....
Wowza. I am shook by this book. I still feel a little undecided about how much I liked this book. It was on the cusp of too bizarre for me, and I almost wish the author would’ve chosen one lane instead of two absolutely bizarre lanes that merged into one another. But I can appreciate the brilliance behind what he did.
I can also see how talented Fram is. His writing is fantastic. His ability to tell the same story from multiple character POV’s was flawless. And really this book was a combination of some of my favourite genres: mystery, touch of paranormal, and police procedural.
So I’m happy I read it. I can’t recommend it to everyone because I think it has its own niche of readers. Those that will love it and those that won’t. I’m in the middle I think. Only one foot over the 50 yard line...not quite a touchdown but probably a field goal.
Wowza. I am shook by this book. I still feel a little undecided about how much I liked this book. It was on the cusp of too bizarre for me, and I almost wish the author would’ve chosen one lane instead of two absolutely bizarre lanes that merged into one another. But I can appreciate the brilliance behind what he did.
I can also see how talented Fram is. His writing is fantastic. His ability to tell the same story from multiple character POV’s was flawless. And really this book was a combination of some of my favourite genres: mystery, touch of paranormal, and police procedural.
So I’m happy I read it. I can’t recommend it to everyone because I think it has its own niche of readers. Those that will love it and those that won’t. I’m in the middle I think. Only one foot over the 50 yard line...not quite a touchdown but probably a field goal.
There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns with this one. It was a decent book, just personally not my favorite kind of book. I'm gonna write this review with VERY few plot spoilers because I think it's important to go into this story not knowing much about it, but know that it is horrific and gay in the best way and that is marvelous for this cannon. I was thinking this was more of a mystery when I started it but quickly found that it incorporates a lot of the supernatural, horror, and thriller genres.
The protagonist, Joel Whitley, left his small southern repressive town ten years ago to live his best successful gay life but returns when he gets into contact with his younger brother Dylan when there are signs of trouble for Dylan. The story starts off as a clear "whodunnit" type of narrative but quickly escalates into something much more sinister as several different plot threads are introduced to you. The story is told in the third person limited but pivots points of view in different chapters with multiple characters. I appreciated this and it kept the story interesting.
Ultimately, it was a well-formulated horror/southern gothic set in a repressive community with a great concept and very important queer themes and representation to boot, but the supernatural elements were personally not for me (unfortunately I'm one of those readers firmly rooted in reality). Also, the number of characters to remember and why they were important to the plot made my head spin for a lot of the story. 3.75 stars.
The protagonist, Joel Whitley, left his small southern repressive town ten years ago to live his best successful gay life but returns when he gets into contact with his younger brother Dylan when there are signs of trouble for Dylan. The story starts off as a clear "whodunnit" type of narrative but quickly escalates into something much more sinister as several different plot threads are introduced to you. The story is told in the third person limited but pivots points of view in different chapters with multiple characters. I appreciated this and it kept the story interesting.
Ultimately, it was a well-formulated horror/southern gothic set in a repressive community with a great concept and very important queer themes and representation to boot, but the supernatural elements were personally not for me (unfortunately I'm one of those readers firmly rooted in reality). Also, the number of characters to remember and why they were important to the plot made my head spin for a lot of the story. 3.75 stars.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was nothing like what I had expected. It was very hard to follow but the basic storyline was intriguing. Very graphic at times and hard to follow with so many characters.
Al netto di una prima parte piuttosto interessante, il finale è un disastro. Non c'era nessuna ragione in cielo e in terra di rendere concreto l'elemento horror, che prima era solo accennato e ascrivibile alla condizione psicologica dei personaggi.