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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very good. And if you like this book and you haven't already seen the movie The Tall Man (2012), starring Jessica Biel, give it a watch; it's also very good.
can’t tell if i’m in a reading rut or if this was slow to start? i enjoyed it a lot once i got halfway through. twists on twists on twists at the end. didn’t know what was real until the very end
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Children on the Hill suffers because of its dual timeline structure. With a book like this, readers must be equally invested in both the past and the present to find it a compelling read. However, the past was far more interesting to me than whatever was going on in the present, maybe because the concept of a present-day podcaster who is investing in Hunting Monsters just felt way too quirky and strange to me to buy into it. In comparison, the seemingly idyllic psychiatric institution in 1970s Vermont felt like an ominous presence overshadowing the rest of the story.
In 1970s Vermont, Violet lives with her younger brother Eric and beloved grandmother, Gran. Gran is a renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, who is the rare female medical leader in her field at the time. But to Vi, Gran is simply Gran - a loving grandmother, who has taken them in after their parents had died in a tragic car accident. Gran may keep them cloistered in their house away from other grandchildren but it is only because she believes that their abilities surpass those of children their own age. She asks after their interests, cares for their pets and makes them home-cooked meals. In their spare time, Vi and Eric are obsessed with monster movies like Frankenstein and have started their own Monster Club, where they try to hunt down monsters in plain sight.
One day, Gran brings home Iris, a quiet girl who is afraid to speak and whom Vi is asked to watch out for. Iris can't remember anything about her past and Vi becomes obsessed with figuring out what had happened to Iris. In the meantime, Iris lives with them and joins their Monster Club.
In 2019, Lizzy Shelley is the host of a semi-popular podcast about hunting monsters. Lizzy's latest case brings her to Vermont, as she has followed a trail of missing girls to this latest location. In each of these cases, a girl reports having met a local legend, a monster, shortly before she goes missing. And Lizzy's gut tells her that this may be her sister, the same girl who had disappeared from 1970s Vermont.
The Children on the Hill felt pretty creepy, as it becomes clear that Iris didn't end up in Vi's home as an accident, but that there may be something going on in Gran's institution. I was definitely invested in this timeline, as the children reveal themselves to be capable of monstrous acts. Not to mention, there are excerpts from a book The Helping Hand of God: The True Story of the Hillside Inn that's said to be popular enough to spawn a movie. The book teases that something terrible had happened, a book that is so sensational that it became a bestseller.
However, the present wasn't quite as well-executed. There were definitely a couple of plot holes and a final twist that I'd guessed early on.
Moreover, there are some loose ends left behind.
In 1970s Vermont, Violet lives with her younger brother Eric and beloved grandmother, Gran. Gran is a renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, who is the rare female medical leader in her field at the time. But to Vi, Gran is simply Gran - a loving grandmother, who has taken them in after their parents had died in a tragic car accident. Gran may keep them cloistered in their house away from other grandchildren but it is only because she believes that their abilities surpass those of children their own age. She asks after their interests, cares for their pets and makes them home-cooked meals. In their spare time, Vi and Eric are obsessed with monster movies like Frankenstein and have started their own Monster Club, where they try to hunt down monsters in plain sight.
One day, Gran brings home Iris, a quiet girl who is afraid to speak and whom Vi is asked to watch out for. Iris can't remember anything about her past and Vi becomes obsessed with figuring out what had happened to Iris. In the meantime, Iris lives with them and joins their Monster Club.
In 2019, Lizzy Shelley is the host of a semi-popular podcast about hunting monsters. Lizzy's latest case brings her to Vermont, as she has followed a trail of missing girls to this latest location. In each of these cases, a girl reports having met a local legend, a monster, shortly before she goes missing. And Lizzy's gut tells her that this may be her sister, the same girl who had disappeared from 1970s Vermont.
The Children on the Hill felt pretty creepy, as it becomes clear that Iris didn't end up in Vi's home as an accident, but that there may be something going on in Gran's institution. I was definitely invested in this timeline, as the children reveal themselves to be capable of monstrous acts. Not to mention, there are excerpts from a book The Helping Hand of God: The True Story of the Hillside Inn that's said to be popular enough to spawn a movie. The book teases that something terrible had happened, a book that is so sensational that it became a bestseller.
However, the present wasn't quite as well-executed. There were definitely a couple of plot holes and a final twist that I'd guessed early on.
Spoiler
Why would Lizzy decide to start a podcast of all things if she was trying to keep a low profile to avoid unnecessary public attention from the book? I also guessed early on that Lizzy was actually Iris, instead of Vi, as Vi started to poke her nose into Gran's business. It was clear that nothing good was going to come out of her investigation and it turns out that Patient S, the girl that Gran had written about as a challenging case, was none other than Vi. Gran turned out to be a eugenicist and had basically manipulated Vi to becoming a monster in killing her family and then experimenting on Vi's brain - basically, creating her own Frankenstein's monster. And in turn, Vi had killed Gran and escaped.Moreover, there are some loose ends left behind.
Spoiler
We never get any answers about where Iris came from and why Gran decided to bring Iris back to her home. Did Gran truly believe that Vi had been a success and it was time to bring back another girl to let Eric and Vi acclimate to her?
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don’t know why but i COULD NOT get into this. The beginning was just clunky and confusing and was akin to pulling teeth to read through it. I don’t think I got hooked until the 60% mark.
That being said, I do love how unique the story was. I loved the deeper meaning behind it. I loved how it presented as a supernatural story but was not supernatural at all. The twists were great. It just took a lot to finally get into.
That being said, I do love how unique the story was. I loved the deeper meaning behind it. I loved how it presented as a supernatural story but was not supernatural at all. The twists were great. It just took a lot to finally get into.
Not sure what it was but I struggled getting into this. The second half picked up and the ending was definitely satisfying. Was an okay book, just wasn’t for me.
My first Jennifer McMahon and will NOT be my last. What a trip.