Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Simultaneoualy tense, Lovecraftian, and somewhat commentary on the presence of devices like Alexa in our home. Also, that poor dog :(
I was loving the book until the last few pages. The ending left me feeling empty. Unsatisfying. Felt a lot like Come Closer but the author did mention that book in the acknowledgements so that made sense. I just wish the ending was different. But I am not the author. The writing overall was good though. Quality wise I'd give it a 5. The ending just kind of ruined it for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listened to the audiobook and read the book, revisting some of the sections with both. The narrator, Robb Moreira does a great job and makes the main character feel accessible.
There are two things that prevented me from giving this novel a full 5 stars: It’s reference heavy, with both direct and indirect references to other pieces of media. It felt a bit like a crutch for the author. I didn’t love the epistolary (second person?) format and grew tired of being the main character’s recipient (his deceased wife. ) The latter starts to fall off about 40% of the way through and the author found a reason for the mc to do this (the mc’s mother-in-law suggests writing it out as a letter to his dead wife ) .
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, even more than I thought I would. I started it and then set it aside for nearly two weeks, expecting it to be a novel that focused on grief, more so than horror. I didn’t read the synopsis before starting and I’m gladbecause the haunted Itza/Alexa/smart speaker isn’t really a main plot point like the synopsis makes it out to be. I loved the cosmic horror elements here. I loved “the cook” and the preparation for “the banquet”.
While I think much of this book came across as discovery writing, it seems like the author went back through the story afterwards to tie it all together. I look forward to reading any future horror novels Gus Moreno puts forward. Also, I was happy to see that he mentioned Sara Gran’s Come Closer in the acknowledgements, as it is one of my favorites too. Finally, I’m hoping someone will read this review andpull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall
There are two things that prevented me from giving this novel a full 5 stars: It’s reference heavy, with both direct and indirect references to other pieces of media. It felt a bit like a crutch for the author. I didn’t love the epistolary (second person?) format and grew tired of being the main character’s recipient (
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, even more than I thought I would. I started it and then set it aside for nearly two weeks, expecting it to be a novel that focused on grief, more so than horror. I didn’t read the synopsis before starting and I’m glad
While I think much of this book came across as discovery writing, it seems like the author went back through the story afterwards to tie it all together. I look forward to reading any future horror novels Gus Moreno puts forward. Also, I was happy to see that he mentioned Sara Gran’s Come Closer in the acknowledgements, as it is one of my favorites too. Finally, I’m hoping someone will read this review and
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
honestly i wanted to give this a 3.75 bc i was so unsatisfied with the ending and was mostly confused upon finishing, despite generally enjoying (though not loving) the rest of the book, but it gave me so much to think about & interpret after reading that i had to bump it up. i dont think it's for me, ultimately, but it is a really well-written, thought-provoking book