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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to love this but it fell so flat for me. Right up until the final page I was waiting for the moment where everything pulls together and the big picture becomes clear. What works in The Last House on Needless Street fails here: the plot feels meandering, confused, unfinished. There are points where we get a glimpse of the story’s heart, and the characters shine, but these are quickly clouded by the novel’s gimmicky construction. The storylines lack cohesion (the last two thirds or so of the book almost seem like a completely separate work); its different elements aren’t given much opportunity to breathe.
I certainly would’ve enjoyed this more if it centred solely around the murder-mystery concept. The dynamic between Wilder, Nat and Harper in their teen years was really intriguing, particularly with Whistler Bay and the town of Castine as our backdrop. Rushing through this in favour of everything that happens after is, frankly, a terrible injustice.
I hope that my next read from Ward restores my faith in her ability to craft works that feel magical. This was not it.
I certainly would’ve enjoyed this more if it centred solely around the murder-mystery concept. The dynamic between Wilder, Nat and Harper in their teen years was really intriguing, particularly with Whistler Bay and the town of Castine as our backdrop. Rushing through this in favour of everything that happens after is, frankly, a terrible injustice.
I hope that my next read from Ward restores my faith in her ability to craft works that feel magical. This was not it.
The book tried to do too much and so it ended up failing at everything. This is the first book by this author that I have actually made it through, but it was such a slog after their two summers were over. I DNF-ed Needless Street and Rawblood pretty early. I won’t be picking up one of her books again.
So hard to describe this book without spoiling it…. It’s well done, but I also ended up feeling like I either didn’t get it fully, or I did and I just didn’t care. I think it’s the latter. Worth the read but not as good as her other books IMO.
Her books are usually great mindfucks, but this one was just a mild fucking. Not as batshit crazy (in the best way) as some of her other stuff.
Her books are usually great mindfucks, but this one was just a mild fucking. Not as batshit crazy (in the best way) as some of her other stuff.
This book tried to do the most and it did some at times.
I'm not entirely sure what happened but I know I liked it
I wish this was two separate books.
The first half is fantastic and I thought the end of the college part would have made it a great novella. Then the second half goes off the rails, in a very bad way. This needed to be two separate stories - one a coming-of-age story with a serial killer in the background, and the other as the story-in-a-story haunted witchcraft thing. Smashing the two together just did not work, unfortunately.
The first half is fantastic and I thought the end of the college part would have made it a great novella. Then the second half goes off the rails, in a very bad way. This needed to be two separate stories - one a coming-of-age story with a serial killer in the background, and the other as the story-in-a-story haunted witchcraft thing. Smashing the two together just did not work, unfortunately.
This was my third read from Catriona Ward and my second five-star book from her! I am absolutely captivated by Ward's writing style and unique concepts, and Looking Glass Sound blew me away!
Looking Glass Sound is a slow, haunting story that creeps up on you, and it's far more character-driven than plot-driven, so readers beware if that is not your preferred style. I went into this story unsure of what to expect so I was just letting the story unravel before me and it was a spell-binding experience.
The story teeters on the edge of the real and surreal, which creates an atmosphere of tension and unease that continues to build with the story. By the end, you start to put together the main themes Ward is tackling with Looking Glass Sound and it leads to some really intriguing discussions around authorship and the craft of writing. I can't wait to see what Ward does next!
I held a book club discussion with my channel members here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjIE91sPlmk
Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Looking Glass Sound is a slow, haunting story that creeps up on you, and it's far more character-driven than plot-driven, so readers beware if that is not your preferred style. I went into this story unsure of what to expect so I was just letting the story unravel before me and it was a spell-binding experience.
The story teeters on the edge of the real and surreal, which creates an atmosphere of tension and unease that continues to build with the story. By the end, you start to put together the main themes Ward is tackling with Looking Glass Sound and it leads to some really intriguing discussions around authorship and the craft of writing. I can't wait to see what Ward does next!
I held a book club discussion with my channel members here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjIE91sPlmk
Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3/5, tuve que leer la sinopsis para recordarme de que trataba el libro, no me acordaba. Como siempre y de costumbre con Catriona Ward, el libro es muy raro, pero esta vez no sentía la necesidad de seguir leyendo, y me sentí perdido durante todo el libro.
Crazy, complex, dark, and gruesome - classic Catriona Ward. Loved the witch craft in this one. Very meandering. I never knew what was going to happen next.