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liltakeawaygirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Grief, and Bullying
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Alcoholism
fabelfuchs's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Violence
elysianbud's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I tried reading this ages ago and DNF'd it. Picked it up again and gave it another chance and actually really enjoyed myself. Creepy and mysterious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Grief, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Bullying, Blood, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, and Animal death
feelingpeachygreen's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Incredibly atmospheric, glorious sense of place.
BUT - all the action happened in the last 20 pages.
BUT - all the action happened in the last 20 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Alcoholism
a_violentfemme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I wanted so much to love this book and the premise sounded just my thing but it feel a bit flat for me overall. I enjoyed the supernatural elements but felt the thriller aspect was rushed and not as well fleshed out as other parts of the story
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Murder, Alcoholism, Bullying, Addiction, and Alcohol
louisec12's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Addiction
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, and Bullying
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Murder, Kidnapping, Vomit, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
hannahg94's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It's a hard 'meh' from me. Not terrible, but ultimately boring and meandering with no clear direction.
First and foremost: even though there are supernatural and thriller elements to this book, it is not a horror or gothic novel. And the spotty paranormal bits throughout come across more as sad and frustrating than they do spooky. This book really belongs in the Slice-of-Life genre. And to throw a bone to this author, just know, I generally don't go toward that genre.
The focus of the story is really about grief: Niall struggling to come to terms with the loss of his wife nearly a decade after her disappearance, and his daughter, Lauren, coming-of-age in a world where she does not have her mother, nor even knows much about her. Even so, there is no profound commentary on these themes or much in the way of growth surrounding them. There are just... there.
To echo another reviewer, what is the point?
Two-thirds through, a mystery emerges, and finally the book feels like it's going somewhere... but ends up being... kinda random? The "mystery" is somehow both impossible to solve AND glaringly obvious. Impossible, because there are no clues to follow and our protagonists have neither the information, resources, or the interest to solve it, and yet glaringly obvious because it's pretty easy to figure out purely by process of elimination and one not-so-subtle "throwaway comment". Either way, this is not a mystery novel and the "whodunit" doesn't even seem relevant to what's happening. The big reveal falls flat and the "why" of it all is non-existent.
And then the book just ends.
Ok.
Now, Francine Toon does have a nice flow with words and her atmosphere was at times, well-done. The narrative, while feeling dull ultimately, did have some moments of gripping-interest, so the book was not unreadable and moved at a slow, but steady pace. But it wasn't my cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death
abbyisabellas's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder and Bullying
_gess_reads_'s review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
First 75% was pretty slow, however, the setting and tone are beautifully described so the slow pace didn't bother me too much. The mix of crime + supernatural + wicca was interesting, though I feel like their presence stayed on a surface level, instead of going in depth or even focussing on one aspect which would have added to the story, I think. The end feels a bit rushed, definitely could have elaborate further than just Lauren takes after her mother and Niall went to therapy . Enjoyed it overall though, love the spooky Highlands vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Murder, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Pedophilia