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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an insane book that truly sent shivers up my spine. I wanted to yell and shake all the characters to do something before something really really bad happened, but also saw why they felt/were so helpless to stop anything from happening. The author truly showed me how scary it is to watch someone you love transform into something that’s violent, evil, and hungry. I can’t wait to read more of her books!
This was a very quick 246-page read! It's interesting coming to it on the heels of [b:Pet Sematary|10583|Pet Sematary|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1308894674s/10583.jpg|150017], because there are some parallels between the two books (which I won't mention, because #spoilers). For the record, I was beyond irritated by one of Ania Ahlborn's more recent books, [b:The Bird Eater|18616071|The Bird Eater|Ania Ahlborn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393021614s/18616071.jpg|26392065], because it's just a blunt, in-your-face bloodied haunting with zero subtlety.
Thankfully, Seed is better. The first half contains some good buildup -- I actually found it tense and frightening, and highlighted a couple passages where my skin crawled. She evokes the physical setting of Louisiana and the Southern gothic quite well, and that feeling of being a scrappy family struggling to make ends meet. Jack's dark family history is intriguing. I really really dug that first half.
But then it slips back into that too-obvious, blatant horror -- little girls are scary, yes, but what's even more frightening is that glimpse out of the corner of your eye, the noise you're not sure whether you actually heard. Once you see the bogeyman in the flesh and it's talking right to you, it actually loses some of its spookiness for me.
So my main problem is with the heavy-handed treatment of the paranormal -- e.g. the way that Jack gaslights his wife isn't because he chooses to do so, but because there's some sort of curse stopping him from telling her about the situation. That robs it of its impact, imo. A husband consciously choosing to keep his wife in the dark, to the point of making her question her own sanity, is actually much more devastating and chilling than the monster stopping him from talking. Because as I've said in my reviews for other horror novels: mankind is our own worst enemy; it's that much worse seeing us self-sabotage if we're given the tools to do so.
And I guess that's the crux of it, that I wish Ahlborn focused on the human/domestic aspect a bit more. I really liked the ending though, because it caught me off-guard and surprised me! So pardon the pun, but I feel like there's seeds of potential in Ahlborn; she's still not hitting the notes I want, but there's promise, so I'll read more of her books at some point.
Seventh book of my Horror Aficionados reading challenge.
Thankfully, Seed is better. The first half contains some good buildup -- I actually found it tense and frightening, and highlighted a couple passages where my skin crawled. She evokes the physical setting of Louisiana and the Southern gothic quite well, and that feeling of being a scrappy family struggling to make ends meet. Jack's dark family history is intriguing. I really really dug that first half.
But then it slips back into that too-obvious, blatant horror -- little girls are scary, yes, but what's even more frightening is that glimpse out of the corner of your eye, the noise you're not sure whether you actually heard. Once you see the bogeyman in the flesh and it's talking right to you, it actually loses some of its spookiness for me.
So my main problem is with the heavy-handed treatment of the paranormal -- e.g. the way that Jack gaslights his wife isn't because he chooses to do so, but because there's some sort of curse stopping him from telling her about the situation. That robs it of its impact, imo. A husband consciously choosing to keep his wife in the dark, to the point of making her question her own sanity, is actually much more devastating and chilling than the monster stopping him from talking. Because as I've said in my reviews for other horror novels: mankind is our own worst enemy; it's that much worse seeing us self-sabotage if we're given the tools to do so.
And I guess that's the crux of it, that I wish Ahlborn focused on the human/domestic aspect a bit more. I really liked the ending though, because it caught me off-guard and surprised me! So pardon the pun, but I feel like there's seeds of potential in Ahlborn; she's still not hitting the notes I want, but there's promise, so I'll read more of her books at some point.
Seventh book of my Horror Aficionados reading challenge.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"At what point do parents back away from something they love more than their own lives, put up their hands, and admit defeat?"
This book is every parent's worst nightmare.
This was my third book by Ania Ahlborn and I devoured it in just a few hours. I seriously could not put it down despite it's creepiness.
This book was extremely terrifying and features another one of my favorite horror tropes-creepy kids and demonic possessions.
From very early on readers get an ominous feel and a sense of foreboding, yet you will be enthralled.
The things that this kid said and the way her possession continued to spiral out of control made for a very spinge-tingling and bone-chilling read.
That ending really pushed my rating up to five stars. Disturbing, twisted and extremely unnerving.
This was a solid demonic possession horror story. I highly recommend
This book is every parent's worst nightmare.
This was my third book by Ania Ahlborn and I devoured it in just a few hours. I seriously could not put it down despite it's creepiness.
This book was extremely terrifying and features another one of my favorite horror tropes-creepy kids and demonic possessions.
From very early on readers get an ominous feel and a sense of foreboding, yet you will be enthralled.
The things that this kid said and the way her possession continued to spiral out of control made for a very spinge-tingling and bone-chilling read.
That ending really pushed my rating up to five stars. Disturbing, twisted and extremely unnerving.
This was a solid demonic possession horror story. I highly recommend
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes