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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
4.5
Honestly, really fun and very quick. So quick that some parts felt underdeveloped/explored. There were some time jumps that annoyed me because there wasn't enough context to fill in the blanks.
Honestly, really fun and very quick. So quick that some parts felt underdeveloped/explored. There were some time jumps that annoyed me because there wasn't enough context to fill in the blanks.
This took me forever to read. It was alright, some moments were very well written and had me on the edge of my seat, but some of the scenes had me skimming through to get to the next interesting bit. Laurel was a good lead character, the boys were good side characters, but I never truly felt the desire to care about what happened next. Overall, unfortunately it was a meh for me!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was okay?
maybe because it was convulted with descriptions that doesn't lead anywhere, maybe because from one chapter's end to another's beginning, the timelines sometimes just didn't make sense, maybe because the characters were shallow and their reactions didn't sit right?
It's a YA horror/fantasy set in a farm. We follow Laurel, living in a tobacco farm, and has an interest in taxidermy. we follow her group of friends who come to help in her farm. Laurel has a dark past, as her mom has died and she was strange, to say the least, before her death. We also realize that Laurel's connection to the land and the farm might be unnatural.
It had some unique aspects, I liked one of the plot twists, but since it's a debut, I guess I can understand these shortcomings.
maybe because it was convulted with descriptions that doesn't lead anywhere, maybe because from one chapter's end to another's beginning, the timelines sometimes just didn't make sense, maybe because the characters were shallow and their reactions didn't sit right?
It's a YA horror/fantasy set in a farm. We follow Laurel, living in a tobacco farm, and has an interest in taxidermy. we follow her group of friends who come to help in her farm. Laurel has a dark past, as her mom has died and she was strange, to say the least, before her death. We also realize that Laurel's connection to the land and the farm might be unnatural.
It had some unique aspects, I liked one of the plot twists, but since it's a debut, I guess I can understand these shortcomings.
4.5 stars! - “A symphony of survival wound its way through the emerald tobacco fields of the Early farm.”
This book… is exactly what horror novels should be. The writing is so atmospheric. I think I got chills in the first paragraph not only from the horror elements but also from just how poetic the writing is. And how stunning is the cover of this book?
It’s the type of southern gothic horror that most southern gothic horror novels are striving to be, but never really end up becoming. The darkness pervades every chapter and oozes at the corner of each scene. The book is terrifying, engrossing, gritty, earthy, and atmospheric. The chapters are shorter in length which lent itself to a fast moving pace for the slate of horror plot elements included. I really loved this one, and can’t wait to read whatever is written next by Kilcoyne.
“The only child who didn’t have a fairy tale to tell was Laurel Early…”
This book… is exactly what horror novels should be. The writing is so atmospheric. I think I got chills in the first paragraph not only from the horror elements but also from just how poetic the writing is. And how stunning is the cover of this book?
It’s the type of southern gothic horror that most southern gothic horror novels are striving to be, but never really end up becoming. The darkness pervades every chapter and oozes at the corner of each scene. The book is terrifying, engrossing, gritty, earthy, and atmospheric. The chapters are shorter in length which lent itself to a fast moving pace for the slate of horror plot elements included. I really loved this one, and can’t wait to read whatever is written next by Kilcoyne.
“The only child who didn’t have a fairy tale to tell was Laurel Early…”
This was a pretty solid debut! The first half of the book is where you get most of your characters established and I was really impressed with the way Kilcoyne was able to set up the rural setting in a way that felt honest. There were parts that reminded me a lot of Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, which I obviously loved, and I was excited early on when the encounters with the horrors felt new and not formulaic.
This stayed true to the end of the novel, but a few aspects were a little flat.. I really liked the story between Garret and Isaac, but Ricky didn't seem to have a lot of meat on those romantic interest bones. Just wasn't as fleshed out as everybody else. There was a point where I thought we were headed into a more interesting direction, but we weren't and he just didn't bring a lot to the story for me.
I felt like this could maybe have gone through one more round of editing to give some parts a little more room to grow, and also catch a few lines that felt a little repetitive. But overall it was a really fun southern gothic horror novel, and I'm really looking forward to what Kilcoyne writes next
This stayed true to the end of the novel, but a few aspects were a little flat.
Spoiler
The magic didn't quite click for me, and I think I would have appreciated a little more strife in Laurel's attempts to personally connect with the supernatural. It felt like it came to her a little too easy and I think the magic system could have flourished more if she had had a few more walls to bump intoI felt like this could maybe have gone through one more round of editing to give some parts a little more room to grow, and also catch a few lines that felt a little repetitive. But overall it was a really fun southern gothic horror novel, and I'm really looking forward to what Kilcoyne writes next
I really enjoyed this book, it kept me interested the whole time. I would think about it after I put it down. I couldn’t wait to pick it back up. I want to get this physically book.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated