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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
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:
Yes
I really enjoyed this author's book, Sundial, and I think I set myself up to be disappointed by Looking Glass Sound. I will preface by saying this is my first experience listening to an audiobook version of Catriona Ward's writing, and I wish my first experience with this novel was with a physical book.
So, I'll start with what I loved: the setting. Whistler Bay is ripe with gothic elements, from the generally dark and moody New England coast to Wilder's isolation in college, hallucinations and ghosts, witchcraft...I could go on. I was drawn in at the very beginning of the novel, as the author did such a nice job of building this environment and setting it up as the perfect place for a strange boy to grow into himself. Wilder starts to feel at home and "come out of his shell," as I believe his dad put it. We were ready for something bizarre, something life-altering to rock Wilder into young adulthood.
And then Polaroids of sleeping kids show up and the serial killer arc begins. Whoop de doo. This plotline had so much potential, and the "resolution" to it felt...easy? At this point, some of the prose started to feel melodramatic and unnecessary. Maybe even cringe? By the time we were in college and Sky is introduced, I was struggling to stay engaged with the book. I felt like the author was trying to spin this epic, intricate web but it felt forced. A lot of characters came off as underdeveloped: Harper (especially towards the end of the book) and Nate (his hair and ripped jorts were like 60% of his personality, which, real but also hello amateur photographer! Let's hear some more about that!), Gracie, etc.
I feel like I know Alton better than the aforementioned characters. Anyway, I have more to say but I have to go to work, haha. Maybe I will revisit this review later.
So, I'll start with what I loved: the setting. Whistler Bay is ripe with gothic elements, from the generally dark and moody New England coast to Wilder's isolation in college, hallucinations and ghosts, witchcraft...I could go on. I was drawn in at the very beginning of the novel, as the author did such a nice job of building this environment and setting it up as the perfect place for a strange boy to grow into himself. Wilder starts to feel at home and "come out of his shell," as I believe his dad put it. We were ready for something bizarre, something life-altering to rock Wilder into young adulthood.
And then Polaroids of sleeping kids show up and the serial killer arc begins. Whoop de doo. This plotline had so much potential, and the "resolution" to it felt...easy? At this point, some of the prose started to feel melodramatic and unnecessary. Maybe even cringe? By the time we were in college and Sky is introduced, I was struggling to stay engaged with the book. I felt like the author was trying to spin this epic, intricate web but it felt forced. A lot of characters came off as underdeveloped: Harper (especially towards the end of the book) and Nate (his hair and ripped jorts were like 60% of his personality, which, real but also hello amateur photographer! Let's hear some more about that!), Gracie, etc.
I feel like I know Alton better than the aforementioned characters. Anyway, I have more to say but I have to go to work, haha. Maybe I will revisit this review later.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Kidnapping, Abortion, Abandonment, Alcohol
This book follows Wilder Harlow who has returned to the place of his childhood holidays to begin the last book he will ever write, the story of his childhood friends and the horror that has stalked him for the past few decades. But as he begins to see things no one else can Wilder begins to wonder if writing this book will be the last thing he ever does.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and unfortunately I found it to be very disappointing and kind of boring. The first half of this book is very linear and straightforward with long chapters of extracts from Wilder's memoir as he details what happened to him in his childhood which I found to be incredibly boring and uninteresting. The second half was better as things began to get weird and I started to become more invested in this story. I also liked the major twists but nothing could really save this book for me. Ward's writing is lovely as always and I liked the atmosphere created. I will continue to pick up books from Ward but this one just wasn't really for me.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and unfortunately I found it to be very disappointing and kind of boring. The first half of this book is very linear and straightforward with long chapters of extracts from Wilder's memoir as he details what happened to him in his childhood which I found to be incredibly boring and uninteresting. The second half was better as things began to get weird and I started to become more invested in this story. I also liked the major twists but nothing could really save this book for me. Ward's writing is lovely as always and I liked the atmosphere created. I will continue to pick up books from Ward but this one just wasn't really for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A slower read with an unusual narrative structure. The end takes you by surprise and leaves you reeling.
challenging
mysterious
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
I wanted to like this book, it was an interesting concept. But the author couldn't get a fix on who the characters were. It was frustrating. Was Wilder shy, confident or unstable.
Dagger Man was wrapped up behind the scenes.
Harper, Nat, Pearl, Sky/Skye are purposefully vague. It was unclear.
Dagger Man was wrapped up behind the scenes.
Harper, Nat, Pearl, Sky/Skye are purposefully vague. It was unclear.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced