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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
HELLO NEW FAVORITE BOOK!!! more thoughts when my brain isn’t fried from reading this
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Listening to the audiobook really took me out of the story, I’d recommend eye reading if possible. Interesting concept and the twist(s?) was pretty good. Also points for gayness
Well, damn. My head hurts. As expected - making readers feel this way is Catriona Ward’s specialty. I’m not sure how much to reveal about the story without giving too much away, so I'll keep it brief.
The book opens with the coming-of-age story of Wilder Harlow told through his unpublished memoir. True to Ward's style, things get weirder and darker quickly. Initially, the story follows a mostly linear structure. You may even start to think you know where it’s going, but nothing could be further form the truth. Soon, the narrative layers stories on top of stories and gets META (yes, in capital letters).
It’s almost a few books in one, and the ending makes you question what was real and what wasn’t. It may also bully you into rereading certain parts of the book to understand how and when the author tricked you.
I loved dark atmosphere and more literary ambitions of the story (structurally speaking). Wilder’s first arc immersed me instantly, and the second made me feel for the poor guy. The rest, well, it made my head hurt
The book opens with the coming-of-age story of Wilder Harlow told through his unpublished memoir. True to Ward's style, things get weirder and darker quickly. Initially, the story follows a mostly linear structure. You may even start to think you know where it’s going, but nothing could be further form the truth. Soon, the narrative layers stories on top of stories and gets META (yes, in capital letters).
It’s almost a few books in one, and the ending makes you question what was real and what wasn’t. It may also bully you into rereading certain parts of the book to understand how and when the author tricked you.
I loved dark atmosphere and more literary ambitions of the story (structurally speaking). Wilder’s first arc immersed me instantly, and the second made me feel for the poor guy. The rest, well, it made my head hurt
I went into it expecting be confused and trying to pick out the twists, but this kept me on my toes for sure and I liked what it said about books and writing
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Going in to this read I anticipated a similar journey and descent into horror as experienced when reading Last House on Needless Street, but it wasn't. It was much more meandering and disorienting, and felt closer to a thriller than horror. Multiple narrative perspectives morphing into one another vs. a singular voice also contribute to the disorientation.
Initially I found the MC's narration whiney and irritating, which makes sense as he was a self-pitying teen boy, but pushing through my initial dislike I found the characters and their interactions genuine. The story itself is retold in each act of the book through different narratives and that's where Catriona's style shines through, but I personally found it confusing. Are they different narrators, or is the narrator so unreliable that this new reality is a delusion? Which reality are we in now, or was this all a delusion?
Overall, it was just ok for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.
Initially I found the MC's narration whiney and irritating, which makes sense as he was a self-pitying teen boy, but pushing through my initial dislike I found the characters and their interactions genuine. The story itself is retold in each act of the book through different narratives and that's where Catriona's style shines through, but I personally found it confusing. Are they different narrators, or is the narrator so unreliable that this new reality is a delusion? Which reality are we in now, or was this all a delusion?
Overall, it was just ok for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC.
3.5 rounded up. I liked this one a lot better than "The Last House on Needless Street." This was a bit more convoluted than I wanted, but the ending saved this book for me.
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5? First half had me invested. Idk what the rest of that mess was tho