Reviews

Daughter from the Dark by Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko

boesbooks4's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

ava15's review against another edition

3.75

I really like the authors’ writing style, and the atmosphere and aesthetic of their books. However, I think this one definitely fell short of Vita Nostra. The metaphor/deeper message was a lot less complex. The mystery was revealed too early on, the main character was really unlikeable, and there were parts that were just creepy in a bad way. I still enjoyed the book and want to read more of their work, but this book just did not have quite the same brilliance as their other work that I’ve read

kramaknome's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

dukegregory's review against another edition

1.0

This isn't Vita Nostra, and it shows.

lookmairead's review against another edition

4.0

What I love about Dyachenko duo is they always bring the weird. If you feel like your books have been too formulaic lately, this team knows how to mix it up for you.

This felt like a fractured fairytale retelling of the movie Ted (Yes, the one with Mark Wahlberg). And I know some may say it’s deeper, stranger, more complicated than that- and they are absolutely right. But I couldn’t stop thinking of that movie when I read this.

So I didn’t love this as deeply as Vita Nostra & it’s because I couldn’t find myself rooting for Aspirin like I did for Sasha. That being said- it was easy to consume.

Actual Rating 3.75/5

lemon_nadie's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

bibliogeekgirl's review against another edition

4.0

This is a weird novel. It has pieces of magical realism, horror, and mystery all wrapped up in one. Who is Alyona? Where does she come from? What does she want? What will she do? These are all questions that are raised from this reading. While the book is told from DJ Aspirin's point of view, it is most decidedly a book about Alyona.

The prose is simple and direct and used to create a foggy atmosphere while reading. It put me in the mind of "Let the right one in" by Ajivde Lindqvist. The heavy weight of the subject matter is laid bare in this way, but there is still a sense of wonder and foreboding.

velkoticbooker's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

oliviagwynne's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Never getting any questions answered is infuriating so your feelings as the reader mirrors the main character’s. 

Feels kind of fever dream-ish 

Aspirin is such an unlikable main character. You can understand his frustration but not half of the decisions he makes or thoughts he has 

It explores some interesting themes about creativity and morals but I found myself either really sucked into it or trying not to fall asleep. 

I wanted to know more about Alyona. I know her mystery is part of the point but I found her much more interesting than Aspirin 

The back half of the book feels so tense as it builds. And then the ending is so bittersweet and sad. 

yulie's review against another edition

2.0

Vita Nostra quickly became one of my favourite books of all time after I picked it up, and so I was incredibly excited to read Daughter from the Dark. Unfortunately, this story goes around in circles too often and is just exasperating to read. While something interesting appears to be going on, the story just takes its sweet time and keeps re-treading worn paths. The whole thing was just exhausting.