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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
tense
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Sad. Amazing moments defining and exploring grief. The plot lost me in the end.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An ok read. Some points really had me intrigued, but then nothing really came from them. Seems like a combo of dealings with feelings of loss and family trauma.
I hadn’t anticipated a book that was advertised as “haunted by a cursed Alexa” would have gotten to me so well. I got through this entire thing in a single day (it’s pretty short) and I was more or less enthralled start to finish.
At its base, it’s a story about grief, loss, guilt, and love. It asks questions like “how am I supposed to move on after my life ends?” Or “why does everything I touch seem to die?” Then t blends them with interesting cultural dimensions like familial expectations, taboo, and identity, and wraps it up with spirituality, the abstract, the beyond. Then it amplifies all of this through a lens of horror.
The prose was beautiful, and Thiago is a compelling narrator. His despair, depression, grief, and sadness drips from the pages, yet it’s apparent that under the numbness is a person who cares a lot.
The weakest part of the novel is the horror elements. They seemed a little passé. Elements of 2001 (literally referenced in the text), Pet Sematary, and some sort of quasi-lovecraft are drawn from for the more concrete horror elements, which caused the final act to drag slightly as everything became just a little too predictable.
However, as a piece of character work, this was a gorgeous exploration of what loss does to ours and our surrounding communications and world at large. At the end, I just felt a little numb and emotionally drained, which was exactly the desired outcome. 4/5.
At its base, it’s a story about grief, loss, guilt, and love. It asks questions like “how am I supposed to move on after my life ends?” Or “why does everything I touch seem to die?” Then t blends them with interesting cultural dimensions like familial expectations, taboo, and identity, and wraps it up with spirituality, the abstract, the beyond. Then it amplifies all of this through a lens of horror.
The prose was beautiful, and Thiago is a compelling narrator. His despair, depression, grief, and sadness drips from the pages, yet it’s apparent that under the numbness is a person who cares a lot.
The weakest part of the novel is the horror elements. They seemed a little passé. Elements of 2001 (literally referenced in the text), Pet Sematary, and some sort of quasi-lovecraft are drawn from for the more concrete horror elements, which caused the final act to drag slightly as everything became just a little too predictable.
However, as a piece of character work, this was a gorgeous exploration of what loss does to ours and our surrounding communications and world at large. At the end, I just felt a little numb and emotionally drained, which was exactly the desired outcome. 4/5.
challenging
dark
tense
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