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pillywiggin's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an amazing read. The mystery is fantastic and the setting beautiful. A small village is full of secrets people don't want exposed. This book just hits all the right notes for me--I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. It kept me guessing until the end. While it is not a horror novel per se, there are plenty of terrifying moments, including one of the most frightening scenes I have ever read. I can't recommend this one enough. It is one of the best books I have read in the past few years, especially from the thriller/mystery genre.
elleen24's review
1.0
DNF
After giving this book countless chances, I dnf-ed it at chapter 20.
Unbelievably bleak and nearly not as captivating as a thriller should be (in my opinion only). It wasn’t
gripping enough for me to even google the ending of the story after dnf-ing it.
It’s a pity actually cause the setting was quite unique and the story surely had potential.
After giving this book countless chances, I dnf-ed it at chapter 20.
Unbelievably bleak and nearly not as captivating as a thriller should be (in my opinion only). It wasn’t
gripping enough for me to even google the ending of the story after dnf-ing it.
It’s a pity actually cause the setting was quite unique and the story surely had potential.
whitwein's review against another edition
2.0
😒 😒 😒
What. This was so dull. I liked the atmosphere but that’s it. The plot… wtf?
What. This was so dull. I liked the atmosphere but that’s it. The plot… wtf?
alyssabessinger's review
5.0
after a long week of being sick and string of bad luck, i’ve finally had the time to finish a book. and holy shit! couldn’t have picked up a better book. such a unique story, nothing like i’ve read before. the twists! the turns! i was gasping left and right. i know october is the time for thrillers, but i’ll definitely be recommending this to everyone in january when it releases. 6/5 ⭐️’s!
krabcake's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
This was a lot bleaker than I was expecting
What I liked:
- The use of setting as character was well done.
- Distinct characterizations and personalities of each character including side characters and deceased characters.
- An ambitious plot
- A bunny paradise!
- The genre-spanning appeal of the book as a whole
- A beautiful cover
- I learned about hooded crows
What I didn’t like:
- It was too bleak. The island, the weather, the atmosphere, the tension, it was just a bit too grim and hopeless feeling.
- The Maggie/Will thing. Once the ending was revealed this became super uncomfortable (and it was already weird). I feel like this relationship would have been far more impactful as a friendship.
- The pace was very slow but, towards the end, the book was trying to do too much too quickly. After such a slow pace, the ending was needlessly convoluted and rushed.
- The death-of-a-parent subplot. This was too much to read on the day of my Grandad’s funeral (and I will say this and the high amount of human and animal death might have been one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy the book. I was already feeling shite and the bleakness made me feel worse.)
On balance, I had many of the same quarrels with this book as with Mirrorland. I don’t think I will pursue future reads by the author.
This was a lot bleaker than I was expecting
What I liked:
- The use of setting as character was well done.
- Distinct characterizations and personalities of each character including side characters and deceased characters.
- An ambitious plot
- A bunny paradise!
- The genre-spanning appeal of the book as a whole
- A beautiful cover
- I learned about hooded crows
What I didn’t like:
- It was too bleak. The island, the weather, the atmosphere, the tension, it was just a bit too grim and hopeless feeling.
- The Maggie/Will thing. Once the ending was revealed this became super uncomfortable (and it was already weird). I feel like this relationship would have been far more impactful as a friendship.
- The pace was very slow but, towards the end, the book was trying to do too much too quickly. After such a slow pace, the ending was needlessly convoluted and rushed.
- The death-of-a-parent subplot. This was too much to read on the day of my Grandad’s funeral (and I will say this and the high amount of human and animal death might have been one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy the book. I was already feeling shite and the bleakness made me feel worse.)
On balance, I had many of the same quarrels with this book as with Mirrorland. I don’t think I will pursue future reads by the author.
thisandthatwithkaren's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
A richly atmospheric thriller set on an isolated Scottish island where nothing is as it seems and shocking twists lie around every corner.
A remote village. A deadly secret. An outsider who knows the truth.
Told in two timelines, 1994 and the present, Maggie and Robert piece together the real story of what happened to Andrew MacNeil.
I found it atmospheric, suspenseful and I just had to know the answers and what happens. I read almost in one sitting. I absolutely loved Maggie's character development throughout the story. I liked all of the shocking points and twists in the story. The ending... I totally did not expect it.
I highly recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries, thrillers or gothic spooky reads. I immediately went out and bought Mirrorland and can’t wait to read it.
A remote village. A deadly secret. An outsider who knows the truth.
Told in two timelines, 1994 and the present, Maggie and Robert piece together the real story of what happened to Andrew MacNeil.
I found it atmospheric, suspenseful and I just had to know the answers and what happens. I read almost in one sitting. I absolutely loved Maggie's character development throughout the story. I liked all of the shocking points and twists in the story. The ending... I totally did not expect it.
I highly recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries, thrillers or gothic spooky reads. I immediately went out and bought Mirrorland and can’t wait to read it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Mental illness