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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Beetle is compared frequently to Dracula because they were published the same year and have similar writing styles and a fantasy/horror bent. I much preferred The Beetle because I found the underlying mechanism used to generate fear to be more interesting. Beyond the surface level cozy mystery, Marsh has much to say about gender and colonialism. There is a constant push and pull between male and female in the novel. A huge part of the fear in this book comes from, at its root, the fear of a loss of masculinity. Classically masculine characters are made weak, taken advantage of, and dominated in the face of a gender shifting (although ultimately female) monster, who acts in the name of a female god. In the end, the novel reads as moral tale of what happens when Victorian values are challenged by outsiders.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
I see from another site I've been 'reading' this for at least 3 years on and off. It was worth the effort to finish it at last. The ending was a little bit lacklustre if I'm honest, and kind of petered out rather than ending with a gasp or a bang, but nevertheless it wasn't bad all things considered.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Rape
Take Dracula and replace with THE BEETLE! This book was suggested by a friend who was reading it, so you know I had to check it out. I didn't realize this book was written so long ago when I started but it made sense after the first bit of the book. The book has a pretty open end so I guess it kept many guessing and still terrified of THE BEETLE! I think I would have maybe given this a higher rating if it was fleshed out a little bit more. The writing was pretty great though... Have you read this? Let's talk??
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun read and pretty fast moving after the beginning!
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
