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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Really fast-paced and mysterious read. Pages turn quickly on this one and the plot moves!
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
Dialogue was clunky, plot was a weird mashup of supernatural horror and drama, but neither was done very well. The horror element was unexplained by the end of the book and not very scary. The main source of drama came from the main character's backstory which was revealed throughout the story, but it was more or less all via the main character just remembering stuff that she'd forgotten throughout the book.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Near the bone is predictable, repetitive, and somehow still infuriatingly unresolved.
When reading the description, I expected something less straightforward, but it was still blatantly obvious that thereal monster was going to be the man all along. However, about 90% of this book is details about beating up a woman, being afraid of being beaten up, and the reminiscing of all the other times she's been beaten. From early on, the book even consistently calls the husband a monster, just in case you need it underlined a little more.
Seems like there are some unused elements in explaining the backstory too.The girl has a sister, but does she? Her existence or nonexistence was never resolved. And if it is a metaphorical existence, it doesn't even feel half baked. It feels like someone started mixing the dough and then remembered they were out of eggs and tried to pass the mixture as chocolate mousse. The "revelations" were very conveniently timed memories brought up by the girl. In her dull existence being trapped in the mountain, hearing a helicopter regularly drop off tons of heroin around didn't feature as a thing before the last few pages? The feasibility and the motivation for the husband also seems underdeveloped. Why kill the mother/his girlfriend? Why take the girl? Was he always religious or did he just use it to control the girl? If so, why would the mother have been with him? He didn't exactly seem to have a charming bone in him.
I appreciated the cryptid being described as just an intelligent animal, however. It makes sense that it didn't have an explanation. Had it been metaphorically connected to what was going on, I'd have appreciated it more too.It only appeared at times very convenient for the plot though. Why wouldn't it have taken the half-dead husband when it could? And the plot armour on the husband was absurd.
When reading the description, I expected something less straightforward, but it was still blatantly obvious that the
Seems like there are some unused elements in explaining the backstory too.
I appreciated the cryptid being described as just an intelligent animal, however. It makes sense that it didn't have an explanation. Had it been metaphorically connected to what was going on, I'd have appreciated it more too.
Genuinely terrifying and gripping. An absolute thriller of a read.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My rating is a 2.25.
This book wasn’t for me. I’m unsure if it was because I found it annoying that “Maddie” repeats the same 3 thoughts over and over and over again (swear if you cut all the additional times she repeats something, this would be 100 pages long), or the predictable plot, or the way they frame the ending, or what seems like giving her a love interest, it just feels poorly written the whole time. Which is sad, because there’s a good story in here somewhere.
I’m happy that a lot of people enjoyed this one, but it was a slog to get through for me. Glad she found her voice.
This book wasn’t for me. I’m unsure if it was because I found it annoying that “Maddie” repeats the same 3 thoughts over and over and over again (swear if you cut all the additional times she repeats something, this would be 100 pages long), or the predictable plot, or the way they frame the ending, or what seems like giving her a love interest, it just feels poorly written the whole time. Which is sad, because there’s a good story in here somewhere.
I’m happy that a lot of people enjoyed this one, but it was a slog to get through for me. Glad she found her voice.
fast-paced