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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Thank you @atriabooks and @simon.audio for the gifted ARC & ALC
I went into Nowhere without realizing it was a horror novel, and honestly, I’m still not sure how I missed that from the synopsis! But you can imagine my surprise when I figured it out. Since horror isn’t typically my go-to genre, maybe take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
The book started off well, diving right into the story - the creep factor was strong. The tension built up quickly, and I was ready for the “dark forces” to take hold. But then - just as things were about to really get going - the family drama took center stage. Rachel and her husband, Finn, were both extremely unlikeable, their relationship and their reasons for staying together didn’t make any sense to me. Rachel was one of those characters who always thought she was right, even when she clearly wasn’t. I also found some of the conclusions she jumped to hard to understand. My irritation with them took me out of the story repeatedly.
The ending had potential, but things got a little weird for me right at the end. Maybe that’s a typical horror ending? I’m not sure, since this is the first horror book I’ve read in years.
Overall, I was hoping for more focus on the story itself and less on the family drama. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it, it was right down the middle for me. That said, this is Gunn’s debut novel, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work. I also really enjoyed the narration by Leanne Woodward.
I went into Nowhere without realizing it was a horror novel, and honestly, I’m still not sure how I missed that from the synopsis! But you can imagine my surprise when I figured it out. Since horror isn’t typically my go-to genre, maybe take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
The book started off well, diving right into the story - the creep factor was strong. The tension built up quickly, and I was ready for the “dark forces” to take hold. But then - just as things were about to really get going - the family drama took center stage. Rachel and her husband, Finn, were both extremely unlikeable, their relationship and their reasons for staying together didn’t make any sense to me. Rachel was one of those characters who always thought she was right, even when she clearly wasn’t. I also found some of the conclusions she jumped to hard to understand. My irritation with them took me out of the story repeatedly.
The ending had potential, but things got a little weird for me right at the end. Maybe that’s a typical horror ending? I’m not sure, since this is the first horror book I’ve read in years.
Overall, I was hoping for more focus on the story itself and less on the family drama. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it, it was right down the middle for me. That said, this is Gunn’s debut novel, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work. I also really enjoyed the narration by Leanne Woodward.
A dark, chilling horror set in a small Appalachian town. It is full of unlikeable characters - none of whom you want to root for. If you love creepy horror with folklore elements, this one may be for you!
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
dark
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
Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. It started off strong - the first chapter opens with the main character, Chief Rachel Kennan, finding a dead body in the woods. The descriptions of the eerie quiet and creeping anxiety when Rachel examines the scene were great, and it really seemed like the story would continue in that direction - a mystery with scary and supernatural elements, but it quickly veered into more of a family drama territory as Rachel and her husband dealt with the loss of their son.
Now drama, tension, and unresolved traumas certainly make for rich stories; however, it was hard to get into this because none of the characters were particularly likeable, and many felt like caricatures.
Rachel is awful - there’s no sugarcoating it; she’s nasty just because, she makes stupid decisions that hurt others around her to varying degrees, and she’s okay putting herself in danger because she has no motivation to live. Again, there’s trauma here, but nothing’s really fleshed out so we’re just left to read Rachel’s angry jabs at whoever’s pissing her off for calling her “Rach” instead of “Chief”. Her husband, Finn, is essentially the punching bag. I don’t know if we’re meant to feel sympathetic for him, but he’s such a bland guy who just puts up with Rachel so it’s kind of hard to. They both mention that they’re done with each other but remaining married to maintain stability for their two daughters, but they argue constantly in front of the kids so I found myself wondering if they were either just too lazy to get a divorce or afraid they wouldn’t have anyone around to spew vitriol at.
The supporting cast in their little West Virginia town were painted as small-minded country bumpkins that don’t accept outsiders.
What I did appreciate were the creepy elements. The descriptions when something feels “off”, there’s foreboding or overwhelming dread, or when a character feels anxious for going somewhere they shouldn’t because curiosity won out — these hit the nail on the head and were so well done. I wish the plot had leaned more into this area!
Thank you very much to Atria for the invitation to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review, and thank you to Netgalley.
Now drama, tension, and unresolved traumas certainly make for rich stories; however, it was hard to get into this because none of the characters were particularly likeable, and many felt like caricatures.
Rachel is awful - there’s no sugarcoating it; she’s nasty just because, she makes stupid decisions that hurt others around her to varying degrees, and she’s okay putting herself in danger because she has no motivation to live. Again, there’s trauma here, but nothing’s really fleshed out so we’re just left to read Rachel’s angry jabs at whoever’s pissing her off for calling her “Rach” instead of “Chief”. Her husband, Finn, is essentially the punching bag. I don’t know if we’re meant to feel sympathetic for him, but he’s such a bland guy who just puts up with Rachel so it’s kind of hard to. They both mention that they’re done with each other but remaining married to maintain stability for their two daughters, but they argue constantly in front of the kids so I found myself wondering if they were either just too lazy to get a divorce or afraid they wouldn’t have anyone around to spew vitriol at.
The supporting cast in their little West Virginia town were painted as small-minded country bumpkins that don’t accept outsiders.
What I did appreciate were the creepy elements. The descriptions when something feels “off”, there’s foreboding or overwhelming dread, or when a character feels anxious for going somewhere they shouldn’t because curiosity won out — these hit the nail on the head and were so well done. I wish the plot had leaned more into this area!
Thank you very much to Atria for the invitation to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review, and thank you to Netgalley.
Nowhere has the hallmarks of an effective horror tale, creepy children, dark forests, small town, and folklore. The characters lean more caricature than archetype, and some of the phonetic dialogue is slow to get through (and too stereotypical to feel authentic). Still, Nowhere was hard to put down and achieved a satisfying conclusion, which is all I can ask for from a thriller.
Nowhere was creepy and atmospheric! The synopsis of Mare of Eastown meets The Outsider lured me in. I was eager to find out what happened to the hiker in the woods and what would happen to make everyone disappear.
I loved the supernatural and horror elements of the story. It was bone chilling and I could just imagine it would make a great movie that would be creepy. However, I disliked the characters. I’m okay with not liking characters, but these people were the absolute worst.. to the point where I kind of felt like I was rooting for the evil to envelope Rachel and Finn instead of them figuring it out and beating it. I wished the story had given them a little more redeeming qualities, even if they stayed flawed and terrible. The townspeople also seemed awful, so all around there was not much to root for.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
I loved the supernatural and horror elements of the story. It was bone chilling and I could just imagine it would make a great movie that would be creepy. However, I disliked the characters. I’m okay with not liking characters, but these people were the absolute worst.. to the point where I kind of felt like I was rooting for the evil to envelope Rachel and Finn instead of them figuring it out and beating it. I wished the story had given them a little more redeeming qualities, even if they stayed flawed and terrible. The townspeople also seemed awful, so all around there was not much to root for.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
I ended up having to DNF this book. I keep trying to push through because I loved the description but after being almost halfway I just have to call it quits. The writing just seems all over the place and it never captured my attention. The characters are the worst part. I absolutely hate them all. They are miserable and such stereotypes. I also have no concept of the town. Where is everything? What's the layout? What's the vibe? Other than the main characters hate it all and hate everyone in it. Like move? There's a million places to get a promotion to chief than a town you despise. Did I enjoy the creepy parts? Absolutely but I was too infuriated with the characters to care any further.
The characters all felt very one-dimensional and many of the side characters were only defined by their stereotypes.
It’s hard for me to feel empathy for any of our protagonists because they lowkey suckkk 😬
Also, very much not into characters that only argue with one another, causing more problems than they even started with.
It’s hard for me to feel empathy for any of our protagonists because they lowkey suckkk 😬
Also, very much not into characters that only argue with one another, causing more problems than they even started with.
I don’t usually mind dark books, in fact I seek them out but this one was a lot. It was bleak and depressing and parts took it too far for me. I def liked the first half better than the last and can see what the author was trying to do with the creepy folklore vibes but ultimately this didn’t land for me. The narrator was new to me and she was good though!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nowhere is a fantastic horror debut. When the synopsis recommended this book for fans of Mare of Easttown, I knew I had to read it!
It definitely gives the Easttown vibes, but combines those vibes with super creepy woods and children. Creepy kids are the scariest thing in the world and this book made me want to sleep with the lights on! I highly recommend this book 🖤
It definitely gives the Easttown vibes, but combines those vibes with super creepy woods and children. Creepy kids are the scariest thing in the world and this book made me want to sleep with the lights on! I highly recommend this book 🖤