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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I haven't read much horror in the last few years but this was a great reintroduction. It really is your typical familial demon haunting, but the narration and details make it a good read. A father with a hazy past finds himself reliving his possibly demonic childhood through 1 of his daughters. You're not quite sure how it will end as you read because there is so much unknown about the haunting itself. But in the last few chapters there are some twists that I didn't see coming. Not like they were total surprises, because you knew something was about to go down. Just not what I thought would happen. You are also left hanging on the reasoning/source of the haunting (like demons need a reason--but you get my drift). The writing style gives you just enough to form a connection with certain characters, but not so much that it gets boring. It is also written pretty straight forward. I stopped reading horror for awhile because a lot of author's get hung up on this flowery prose to describe things that are scary or suspenseful on their own. I gave it 4 stars because the end left me confused (see above) and it started to drag a little in the middle which meant the last 30 pages felt rushed.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t know what was scarier: the demon, or the fact that it was an allegory for inherited mental illness and generational trauma!
Pacing was a bit slow at parts, but otherwise a solid read. And holy fuck that ending was wild.
Pacing was a bit slow at parts, but otherwise a solid read. And holy fuck that ending was wild.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
Alot of build-up. Ending could have been an experience rather than an accounting. It was too PG rather than R. I felt like most of the book was wasted in marriage drama.
On the slow side, but still an interesting book to read. Since this was the first book from Ania Ahlborn, I want to let most things go and say that this was an eerie read and you can see the beginnings of her improving with each book from this point forward.
dark
funny
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
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated