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minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Atmosphere: 👍
You know how childhood memories can be both extremely vivid and super foggy? The writing style nailed that feeling. Set in a home with lots of nooks and crannies, it has a whimsical atmosphere with an underlying sense of danger that builds until it starts taking over.
-If you feel lost, there's a layout of the house on the author's website, because they based it on their grandparents' actual house!
-If you feel lost, there's a layout of the house on the author's website, because they based it on their grandparents' actual house!
Main POV: 👍
A twin in their 20s/30s returning to their childhood home. They were all too happy to leave behind their twin sister and hometown as a young adult to become a content creator in L.A., and returning has brought back not-so-welcome memories of their shared childhood.
Growls and Howls: 🐺
-If you write a story but don’t give much detail, I will start filling it in with my imagination. And if you suddenly get descriptive and smash all my little imaginings to bits halfway through I will be so mad at you. That’s exactly what this author did BUT I was fully there for it. The fantastical and strange is gradually shaped and smashed into real life Horrors and I loved it.
-The ending wasn’t necessarily a bad one, but it was so rushed that one of the characters had to explain everything to us and the MC. And I was still confused…I wish the beginning half of the book was cut down to draw out that ending so we could discover some of it out on our own.
Show'n'Tell: 😵💫
Show with a sudden switch to tell just when it was getting good. Like bringing a Pokemon card in for class, then ending with “oh yeah I have two special edition ones too”. Flashes them up just as the bell rings.
Cred Rating: 👍🤡
Best to go in with suspended disbelief. Like, the treasure hunt would have been over if anyone in that house ever picked up a Swiffer. Realistic police investigation and portrayals of how we process childhood abuse.
Reading Journey: 👍
You know those city walking tours on YouTube? The one for Edinburgh went through strobe-light carnivals at the base of a giant castle on a cliff, sidewalks with gothic looking structures scattered about, and house music blaring through a maze of alleyways. That’s what reading this felt like.
Good match if you like:
-Unreliable NarratIVES (MC is sure of their memories but also starting to doubt them, yet others are having the same troubles and we aren’t sure which one is the true version and who to trust)
-Childhood trauma and resilience themes
-"Good for her" trope
-"Good for her" trope
-Puzzles
-Dark family secrets
-Evil/psychic twin bond energy
Vibes: 😢🤯😵💫
Format: Library E-book via Libby
Format: Library E-book via Libby
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Self harm, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Blood, Drug abuse, and Violence
Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Mental illness rep involves dissociative disorder and repressed memories. One character is described as paranoid schizophrenic by someone, but also recognized by others as suffering from extreme lifelong abuse. Sexual content that is explicitly described in the book is consenting adults,thecatladybooknook_penny's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
While I really enjoyed this book, I'm not sure the typical fast-paced thriller lover will give this book enough of a shot before setting it down. It is marketed as a thriller, but it feels more like a mystery/fantastical/slow-burn story with a few thrilling elements. It's very dark and tense; very gothic in feel.
If you like dark, slow-burn stories with a few twists; if you like fantasy and imaginary play, I think you'll like this. Even those who read literary fiction may even like this if they also enjoy mystery/thrillers.
Cat and El (mirror twins) have a very vivid imagination as children, encouraged by their mother, which lends very heavily to the fantastical elements. There are even times where Cat as an adult leans in to what she knew as a child which made the house seem to take on a life of its own. When I first started reading this, I was slightly confused, but I'm used to reading 1000 page fantasy novels. I was willing to ride it out and see where this story would go. I'm really glad I did.
There were some moments in the story where Cat would be narrating the story and she goes back to a childhood memory as a flashback of sorts which can be a little confusing for some because you aren't told "this is flashback, and okay now, we're back to real time". I didn't mind that once I saw the author using that technique more and more. The writing style was simple without being overly simplistic and was easy to read and imagine what was happening within the story. A really good debut novel!
I highly recommend this book for the type reader I described above. Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner books for this free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you like dark, slow-burn stories with a few twists; if you like fantasy and imaginary play, I think you'll like this. Even those who read literary fiction may even like this if they also enjoy mystery/thrillers.
Cat and El (mirror twins) have a very vivid imagination as children, encouraged by their mother, which lends very heavily to the fantastical elements. There are even times where Cat as an adult leans in to what she knew as a child which made the house seem to take on a life of its own. When I first started reading this, I was slightly confused, but I'm used to reading 1000 page fantasy novels. I was willing to ride it out and see where this story would go. I'm really glad I did.
There were some moments in the story where Cat would be narrating the story and she goes back to a childhood memory as a flashback of sorts which can be a little confusing for some because you aren't told "this is flashback, and okay now, we're back to real time". I didn't mind that once I saw the author using that technique more and more. The writing style was simple without being overly simplistic and was easy to read and imagine what was happening within the story. A really good debut novel!
I highly recommend this book for the type reader I described above. Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner books for this free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Incest
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