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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Whew! I am going to remember the horror scenes in this book for quite some time to come. It’s first quarter starts off a little slow, but it ramps and ramps and ramps until you’re enthralled and sick to your stomach and can’t stop turning the pages because everything is so tense and you’re not sure what’s going to happen next. It’s gory, it’s scary, it’s graphic, it’s existential, it’s fluid, it’s dreamy. Lost my grip on reality by the end there. Some of it still confused me but I don’t think it’s meant to be “gotten.” Will remember this one for years to come, I fear.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found myself connecting to this book probably way more than i should have. Looking over the plot charterers from a distance some things feel a little cliche and has a couple holes especially at the end. I think the prose really built something soul touching that only faltered at the end because it felt a little played out. I love when authors explore grief through horror and the exploration of cultural heritage, trauma and media hit for me. I really enjoyed this book and it was easy to finish this in a day.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol
loved the cosmic horror elements but overall didn’t really do it for me! think it was pretty well written and was a very unique view on the overwhelming power that grief has on someone, but ultimately it just didn’t really hit for me. maybe if i read this at a different, more grief-filled point in my life it would click more. still good though
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Grief is a common theme to explore in media, and I feel like it's even more present in the horror genre. At face value one might think, "do we really need another story about dealing with the loss of a loved one?" And at face value I might agree that the concept has been tackled just about every way already, but This Thing Between Us proved to me that there are still interesting ways to keep the topic fresh in a way I've never seen before.
The sales blurb for this book pitches it as a ~what if your Alexa was haunted~ kind of story, but there is so much more going on here. There is some truly sinister and malevolent shit happening to poor Thiago (who is one of the most interesting and likeable protagonists I've come across in a while) and there were at least two scenes that had me sitting upright and thinking "whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck." There was also a Mexican folk twist on the story's events involving brujas and mentions of El Cucuy that made it feel distinct from generic cosmic horror.
I liked all the characters, specifically the relationship between Thiago and his mother-in-law and how that changes after his wife's death (this occurs before the story even begins, so it's not really a spoiler). Everyone's decisions and dialogue felt natural and logical, subthemes of gentrification and immigration were treated fairly and didn't come across as heavy-handed, and I got legitimately spooked at parts. This book is a quintessential example of what I think horror literature looks like at its best. This is an easy auto-recommendation.
The sales blurb for this book pitches it as a ~what if your Alexa was haunted~ kind of story, but there is so much more going on here. There is some truly sinister and malevolent shit happening to poor Thiago (who is one of the most interesting and likeable protagonists I've come across in a while) and there were at least two scenes that had me sitting upright and thinking "whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck." There was also a Mexican folk twist on the story's events involving brujas and mentions of El Cucuy that made it feel distinct from generic cosmic horror.
I liked all the characters, specifically the relationship between Thiago and his mother-in-law and how that changes after his wife's death (this occurs before the story even begins, so it's not really a spoiler). Everyone's decisions and dialogue felt natural and logical, subthemes of gentrification and immigration were treated fairly and didn't come across as heavy-handed, and I got legitimately spooked at parts. This book is a quintessential example of what I think horror literature looks like at its best. This is an easy auto-recommendation.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated